This small title has thoughts about Advent that we should all consider. This is the book I choose this year prepare for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope you will consider this as I will explain some of it's virtues.

First, this book really does get into the stunning magnificent events and truths of the birth of Jesus. From the introduction, he writes, "Sadly, many of us are no longer gripped by wonder as we consider what this story tells us about the character and plan of God. Sadly, many of us are no longer humbled by what the incarnation of Jesus tells us about ourselves. We walk by the garden of the incarnation, but we don't see the roses of grace anymore. One eyes have gone lazy and our hearts have grown cold."

I love the metaphor of the incarnation as a garden. I love that he speaks of roses of grace. Take some time to consider this image and all that it means.

"I know how easy it is for me, on any given day, to forget who I am and what have been given in the person and work of Jesus. Other things in life capture my attention and the allegiance of my heart. Other things rise to levels of importance in my mind, way beyond their true importance. And when other things capture and control my heart, little room remains for wonder and worship. Familiarity often means that what is very important may no longer exercise important influence over us in the way that it should."

He writes to recapture his attention and our attention. "I wrote it with hope that this amazing story would reactivate your awe. I hope that as you read, your heart will be surprised by things in this story that you have never seen before or maybe haven't seen in a very long time."

What a lovely introduction to looking down in the manger! Look down and look up. See the angels sing to the shepherds. Enjoy their song!

The first day's devotional sets the stage for the rest of the book. "God would take on human flesh and invade his sin-broken world with his wisdom, power, glory, and grace. But he wouldn't descend to a place. Instead, the Lord Almighty, the Creator, the sovereign King over all things would humble himself and take on the form of servant; he would live on our behalf the life we could have never lived, he would willingly die the death that you and I deserve to die, and he would rise from his tomb as the conqueror of sin and death. He would suffer every single day of his life so that he could, with his life, give grace to rebels, extend love to those who would deny his existence, impart wisdom to those who think they know better, and extend forgiveness to everyone who seeks him. His coming stands as an affirmation that he will not relent, he will not be satisfied until sin and suffering are no more and we are like him, dwelling with him in unity, peace, and harmony forever and ever."

"The majesty of the patient and forgiving love of this story defies words. The implications of this birth are not only transformation to the cosmos, but also eternal in their extend. This is the story of Jesus, born in a barn in Bethlehem. The Messiah the earth cried for now cries to be held by Mary and will soon cry in torment of the cross of salvation. He came to suffer because he came to save. The angels sang because finally hope had come. Don't you want to join them?"

Another virtue of this book is the suggested activities for children that are at the end of the devotionals. The first one asks about favorite songs and why we songs. This is done to help us consider the angels singing to the shepherds when Jesus was about to be born. 

If you are looking for an Advent title for the whole family, this is a good choice. You will enjoy his devotions and your children will enjoy the discussions! 

I have been looking for a book that would encourage the writer in me at almost any stage. Bird by Bird did not do it and neither did The Right To Write. Even Writing Down the Bones did nothing for me. This little gem of a book is what I was looking for. It's poetic, magical, and inspiring. 

First, Nicole Guletta is a poet. Everything in this book is poetically written. I have fallen for the way she incorporates ritual, routines, and rhythms into all aspects of the book. 

Second, I love the way this book is framed. There are ten seasons described in the book. These seasons were a reminder it is okay that I am not going at writing with full effort right now. I am tired, and it is a season.

The seasons she describes cover everything imaginable. It starts with beginnings and self doubt. It describes going back in time and discontent. It has the art of listening to your body. It speaks of raising young children. There was room for liminal space, visibility, retreating, and finishing. I am not even finished with this, and I am inspired.

Let's take a look at chapter 2, the season of self-doubt. This begins by describing a visit to the acupuncturist. The author is trying to get rid of a cough she has had for the past three weeks. As she looks back, she realizes that it starts with the contract she has to write a book about creativity. What does she know about creativity? The cough comes and she begins to wallow in fear. And then she starts to do things that actually help.

She goes back to the acupuncturist. She writes about Kate Swoboda who believes fear is a wound. She names the amygdala as the seat of fear. 
She mentions Kate Murphy. 

"If you cans sense and appreciate your fear - be it of flying, illness, or social rejection - as merely your amygdala request for more information rather than as a signal of impending doom, then you are on your way calming down and engaging more conscious, logic-dominated parts of your brain."

When her amygdala gets the best of her, she goes to the beach. The vastness of the sea is there, her mind opens, and she is able to release a silent prayer. 

She names her fear. She calls herself a writer. She recommends we call ourselves writers. Even if we have only published one thing. 

Lets go back to the beach scene. She is able to breathe there. She recommends we breathe wherever we are. 

She speaks of sitting in with a board that is editing her book. Breathing in and out is what she needed as they take her work and move it into new places.

"Send your breath there. Send your pen there. Write it out, think it through, and get to the core of truths of these stories so you can stand a little taller. Our stories are not here to make us feel small and insignificant but to help us carve a sturdy path in stone, not sinking sand."

She even has steps that you can move through. But I digress here. Pick up this little treasure of a book. 

Even if you are not a writer, I do believe it will help you live better.

There have been many books about the creative collaboration of the Inklings, but I am going to suggest that this should be the definitive one Diana Pavlac Glycer. The writer is an academic who has spent over 40 years combing through archives and studying old manuscripts. She is also an artist with a vision. The vision is that creativity thrives in community.

We all need people in our lives in order to keep the creative spark going, and this book will serve both the writer/artist who are interested in supporting the creative process and the academic who really wants to know how C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Owen Barfield, Warren Lewis, Charles Williams, and others supported and critiqued each other.

It should be noted that this book was written after The Company They Keep was published (Kent State University Press). With this version of the book, Diana Pavlac Glycer wrote about their collaboration in a more academic way. She then decided that the subject needed a wider audience and subsequently wrote Bandersnatch. 

The first chapter, "Dusting for Fingerprints", explains the writers journey into researching the lnklings and what she was hoping to find. She even has a story about a senior researcher who tells that she is never going to find what she is looking for in the research that she is doing. She cries for a week before deciding that she may not find what she wants, but she will find something. 

"As I learned about the Inklings, something else began to dawn on me, something wholly unexpectedl. Something bigger. I wasn't prepared for just how important this group was, how essential it had become to the work of these writers. I thought that being an Inkling was probably helpful and encouraging. But I was starting to see that the group was, somehow, necessary" (p. 8).

"An Unexpected Party", the second chapter, goes over the early beginnings of the Inklings. It speaks of Tolkien and Lewis and their life at Oxford. They did not get along at first. It was when Tolkien started a club called Kolbitar, an old Norse word for "old cronies who sit around the fire so close that they look like they are biting the coals". Lewis was drawn in with his love for Norse mythology. He enjoyed getting together with Tolkien weekly to read Icelandic poems and stories.

From here, the various players in the group decide to meet once a week to read each other's works, engage in word-play, and critique each other.

"The Heart of the Company", the third chapter, goes over how the Inklings dealt with discouragement. The term resonator comes up. This, of course, includes words of encouragement, but also includes helping to put in an idea for a new project to promoting the work to the much larger, general public.
C.S. Lewis was a resonator for others. He encouraged Charles Williams and Tolkien in what they were doing. 

A take away from this chapter is that writers should be resonators for each other. We all need encouragement and we all need other people's input to make things happen in our own worlds.

Chapter four, "I've Got a Good Mind to Punch Your Head", goes over the criticism each member of the group endured. Because many of the Inklings were used to operating in academic circles, "dialectical swordplay" was a regular activity. The language of fighting and fighting was everywhere, so a thick skin was needed. The diversity of personalities and points of view was great thing for developing manuscripts. 

Chapter five, "Drat that Omnibus" looks at the art of giving feedback. Being critical is one thing, but this needs to be balanced with specific feedback. Specific suggestions could be: Shorten the dialogue. Pick up the page. Combine these three paragraphs. Invert these three lines. The idea is to envision a possibility that you may not have considered before. 

There is also the art of receiving advice in chapter five. It takes some humbleness for the author to accept, reject, or modify anything that is offered. Author is very much related to the authority and the ultimate decision is up to the writer.

What else does this good book have to offer? I suggest you get your hands on a copy and have a look for the many gems that are awaiting your discovery. Remember, creativity thrives in community. 

I love books. Really good books that can change the way you think, the way you do things. And this is one of those books!

​It is no secret that I love Sally Clarkson. She and her husband were pioneers of the homeschooling movement and have published a number of great books that keep my kids busy. I did have a favorite. It was The Life-Giving Table. It was my favorite until Awaking Wonder came out last month. 

Awaking Wonder is a memoir of sorts. It's Sally's memories of her time with her children. It is full of great stories on how she awoke wonder in each of them. 

It has a great start and I will lay it out for you:

"Memorable and momentous occasions rarely announce themselves ahead of time, but tiptoe quietly into the corners of lives and yet leave a profound influence. So this particular evening stands out to all of us as sort of mysteriously sacred shared events that shaped a deep part of our souls.

In the late evening just after sunset, chill mountain breezes of a summer night twirled around us, and I shivered involuntarily. Thousands of stars shone above like diamonds of a velvet cloak and beckoned us to stop, to enter into their reality.

Tonight we should sleep out under the stars, I thought. I had not seem such a cloudless, clear view of the night skies in a very long time. 

When I announced my plan, excitement burst forth through squeals, jumping up and down, smiles that lit up the room. Making plans and giving orders, I bustled about, dragging sleeping bags and pillows onto our deck. At 7 300 feet in elevation, our little rustic home was tucked at the foot of the towering Colorado Rockies, bordering 25 000 acres of national forest.

We were surrounded by the long, dark shadows of the trees waltzing to a mountain song, and the pine forest, whistled as the breeze gently moved branches back and forth. We found ourselves invited to a dramatic performance by an infinite array of stars twinkling across our night sky.

Here, away from the lights of the city, the whole world of sky sparkled with movement and flashes as though elegantly parading in the heavens, in sync with the pine trees. We considered that we had box seats and were audience to the angels rollicking, swirling in the light, moving to the rhythm of the swaying branches, just for our pleasure. Our magical night world was awash with mystery and whimsy.

Four-year-old Joy plopped into my lap as I eased onto our old wooden bench. Her brother, Joel, twelve, and Nathan, ten, ran wildly up and down our deck, yelling, punching, giggling, and point to a shooting star here and the Milky Way there.

Clay, my husband, turned up the soft acoustic music from inside the home so that a symphony of haunting melodies accompanied this transcendent evening of delight. The night sky darkened and marked the time for us to cuddle for warmth in a pile under the sleeping bags. We all lay flat on the creaky deck, looking into the showcase of myriad glimmering lights. In this auditorium of splendor, we all marveled. An almost sacred hush fell over us and gave us calm and peace to our previously distracted souls.

Sarah, at fifteen, was wrapped in a warm quilt. Hidden in a dark corner, she watched the beauty in the same comfort of her private imaginations.

All of us were wonder-struck at the infinite stars, the sky chandelier shimmering, the vastness seemed to quell any small worries or issues that had troubled us before, and we breathed release and felt peace. Each of use were caught in our own 'mind castles', where feelings and thoughts danced through our wonderings, elegantly, freely, in celebration of the grace of our moments.

The six of us were invisibly joined together as the threads of our hearts were woven through the unspoken sharing. As we sat in reverie of the grandeur, we were enveloped with the sen of an artist greater than us, and with an awareness of the small but hidden in our Creator's magnificence. Merely to be in the vastness of such a display of power and beauty all at once to witness sublime reality beyond our comprehension.

We were captured in the wonder of it all, together" (p. 12-13)

This is her description of wonder, amazement, and glory. 

There are other gems in the book. Here are a few to whet your appetite.

"Every child is a miracle. Every single one. Each is born as a seedbed of potential for loving, thinking, creating, giving, working, and so much more" (p. 28).

"Make it a goal to give your child an environment in which they can be curious about ideas, stories, and people" (p. 36).

"The second goal was to provide my children a foundation of unconditional love and deep acceptance for them as human beings with unique personalities, drives, skills, and abilities" (p. 37).

"I desired that our children not be confined to a reductive faith that was based merely on moralism, rules of behavior, pedantic philosophy. Instead, I wanted to embody an authentic faith in a personal God, the artist, the lover, the holy one - one beyond our ability to quantity. I wanted them to grow up in the oxygen of His reality embodied through all the moments of our lives" (p. 38).

She speaks of mentoring and how to do it. She speaks of forming faith through imagination and wonder. She speaks of how to grow faith. She speaks of pursuing treasures of knowledge to fill a mind. 

Pick up this book because it is a treasure. It is a treasure of knowledge that should be shared with the world. 
 
 

I admit to having this book for months without delving into it. I wanted to be able to savor the contents as I knew it was going to be good.

First, the story of how I came to hear the name Andrew Peterson. It started off small. I heard him singing on a Slugs and Bugs album. This is music made for kids and I was intrigued by his playful way. So, I looked him up on the internet.

Google told me he was the author of the Wingfeather Saga and a musician. I moved over to Youtube to hear a little bit of his music and realized I was listening to someone who went far beyond the usual be-boppy worship music that has been so popular. He was a singer/song-writer in the best sense of the word. So many of the cuts showed me he was a modern Paul Simon (Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints are two of Simon's solo albums) who just happened to be Christian. This is the Paul Simon of Simon and Garfunkel fame. Need I say more? 

I also remembered that I had seen him talking to another author on a Read Aloud Revival segment. I went back and watched that again, digging for treasure. 

This book is a treasure. It's a treasure for music makers, for writers, for artists. It's for anyone interested in doing anything creative. The subtitle says Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making. 

He has personal stories woven through book. It's an autobiography of sorts that starts and ends with calling and has much to offer in the middle. 

In the chapter entitled A Matter of Life or Death I marked this quote. "Tear your attention away from your shame, your self-loathing, your self-consciousness, your self. Now, rejoice. Become who you were meant to be, who you already are in Christ. Then get busy writing. Park the scooter in the field and write with abandon. Fight back. It's a matter of life and death" (p. 48). 

In Longing to Belong, I found out that he keeps bees. He makes honey. He speaks of co-laboring in his little corner of creation and how sweet the experience is. "It speaks to me of its maker. And my Maker speaks to me through it. I love to watch people taste my honey. They always close their eyes and breathe deep, and they always proclaim it better by far than what they at the grocery store. I'm not sure it tastes all that different, but their enjoyment is heightened by the knowledge it came from the flowers underfoot and the long labor of the bees. Sweet alchemy. I think it reminds them of Eden ... The Kingdom is coming but the kingdom is here. That's why we are homesick, and it's also why we might as well get busy planting" (p. 60).

In The Integrated Imagination, he shares his love for fantasy and the myriad of fantasy series that he has read. His love shines through at the end when I read this quote. "Someone out there is building a bridge so we ca slip across to elf-land and smuggle back some of its light into this present darkness. I'm always looking for that bridge. I suppose you could call it a quest" (p. 73). The echoes of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis are there for anyone to pick up on.

In Serving the Audience he writes about how people coming to a concert are not only giving their time but their attention. "... the more surprising thing is that they are giving you their attention - which is an act of profound generosity  is a culture that clamors for every second of our attention already" (p. 98).

There were a number of gems in this chapter about writing that are worth noting. 

"Write it like you would say it" (p. 101).

"That's what it means to serve to work and to serve the listener. Proceed with the utmost care. Whatever you do, don't let their glasses fall off. Don't break the spell" (p. 101).

"... a song can make you actually feel something, a tingle in a place you thought long dead. That's what the best songs - the best works of art - do for me" (p. 104).

"Just pretend you're talking. Pretend you are looking him in the eye and opening your heart to your little boy" (p. 104-105).

There is so much in his words and I still have two chapters to read.

This book, like all great books, is a feast of words.

​Thoughtful, careful words crafted by someone who cares deeply about art in its many gloried forms. 

Take it and read.

I have had this book on my bookshelf for quite some time. It had become one of many that I had intended to read but did not quite get there until this summer.

So, what happened this summer? Joy Clarkson, Sally Clarkson's daughter, had posted on her podcast that she wanted to do A Wrinkle in Time for her summer book club. CoVid 19 had impressed on her the need to pick something a little easier to read than her previous picks and a little more uplifting. 

Well, I jumped on this. Uplifting is something I needed at that moment in time. I took it on a short weekend trip and read the first five chapters. And now I know why it is a class.

I have come to appreciate the beauty in this tale from 1963. It is a coming of age story and a science fiction story rolled into one. Let's begin our journey...

Meg and her little brother, Charles, wonder what has happened to their father, a scientist working for the government who has been missing for several years. When a strange old lady shows up at their door, the adventure to find him begins. The old lady and two more of her odd friends lead them out of the universe into the worlds of some strange planets that are under the influence of the horrible, shadowy IT.

Meg, an awkward and insecure girl, finds the courage and resourcefulness to overcome IT and save her father and brother. She also learns about the importance of family and love. One minute she's on the brink of death under the grip of IT, and the next, she's ready to face IT because she knows that it's something only she can do.

There is a small cast of side characters. Charles Wallace for one. It's not very clear why little Charles, who has the vocabulary of a Harvard graduate, is so special. But he is special. Calvin is another notable character in the book. He seems to genuinely like Meg for who she is. Meg, of course, has a hard time getting her head around that fact in the beginning.

Throughout the story there are references to Christianity: quotes from scripture, mention of angels, and the idea that God is in charge of everything. This gives the story a "Chronicles of Narnia" kind of feel.

Is this a Christian story? This is open for interpretation. For me, this book has many lessons. First, it is a reminder to say yes to life, to accept responsibility, to be brave even when frightened, not to make decisions based on fear, and to accept people as they are. 

It's has beauty. It has truth. It has life in it.

This is the book that many publishers rejected. This is the book that won the Newberry Medal. 

It lifts up life. 

Borrow a copy from your local library or pull it down off of your shelf. Open it up and read.

Don't wait as long as I did to read it.

And when you do, email me to let me know what a tesseract is.
​

It's funny how God works things out when you least expect it. 

This past weekend I was getting into the elevator to go to Korea University. I needed to use the scanner for my Academic English students. Our neighbor was on the eight floor, who I have met many times, was also in the elevator. We talked a bit in Korean before we said goodbye and proceeded our separate ways. I thought it was strange that he wasn't wearing a mask.

It took me about a minute to realize that I didn't have my keys. I was thinking to myself that it was a little ridiculous that I had remembered everything else but forgot the keys. 

Low and behold the neighbor was also going back upstairs. I smiled at him and said key in Korean and pointed upstairs. He laughed hysterically because he had done the exact same thing! There we were, guiltily going back up to get the one item we forgot.

I met him again on the way down. He lives right above us, so I called out, "Mister come to the seventh floor. We can go down together!" And he did come running down the stairs. 

In the basement he kept saying a word I didn't understand and motioned for me to come to his car. He handed me two books. As I was looking at the books, I realized that he was the author, and I told that it was great. I was trying to give them back, but he kept insisting that I take it. He kept saying, " I novelist." I took his two books and looked at them carefully later that evening with my husband. 

My husband looked at the books after I said, "There is a novelist living on the eighth floor!" 

I thought that would be the end of it. It wasn't.

The following evening he knocked on our door.  Aidan, my second son, answered the door. Aidan was presented with a rather large box and the box had two rather large and expensive melons in it. "It's a present for your family." I recognized the voice.

I went to the door and said thank you and asked if he was in 803 or 804. He said 804, which is right above us.

It's rather poetic that a novelist lives above us and he is rather kind. I will give him something later on in the week. I am thinking about banana bread muffins...

​__________________
​

I am reading a leadership book with a group of people from KNU International Church called The Secret. I did not expect to like the book as much as I did!

What is the secret?

The secret is about great leadership and what great leaders do.

Great leaders serve.

Great leaders are not necessarily on a power trip.

They want to help others.

They want to serve!

It begins with a woman named who just does not know what to do with her team of people at work. She knows they are good people, but she is not sure why they are not performing well. She decides to do something about it.

She starts at the library looking at books about leadership. The books all mention mentoring and she is wondering what to do when she sees an email about mentoring opportunities. 

Hmmm. She is thinking to herself that a quick meeting with someone above her could help her out. 

She signs up to find out that the meeting will not be quick. She also finds out that her meeting is with the boss of her company!

Together her and her boss go over SERVE. 

The S stands for See the Future. 

The E stands for Engage and Develop Others.

The R stands for Reinvent Continuously.

The V stands for Value Results and Relationships.

The E? I am not going to tell you because it's a secret!

The principles behind the book are what served the American Chick-fil-A company so well. 

_____________

We are in a leadership void at the moment. There are a number of people in leadership, including Donald Trump, who should be part of this discussion. What is it that we want in a leader?

If we don't start discussing what we want in political leaders, economic leaders, and church leaders, we are not going to get anywhere. 

I saw great leadership in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder.

I have seen police officers protest and agree with protesters. 

I have seen late night talk show hosts explain how the reality of CoVid 19 interconnected with the George Floyd murder, and the systemic existence of racism in the U.S..

Let's talk.

Is it about being smart?

Is it about mentoring people?

Is it about caring for people?

Is it about standing in solidarity when you know something is wrong with society?

Is it about the man who showed kindness on the eight floor?

I just want to get the discussion started...

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. Philippians 2:3.

My last post was about prayer and how I have taken to prayer during CoVid 19. 

I am praying morning, afternoon, and evening.

I believe in prayer.

I think prayer.

I feel prayer.

I am praying.

​It would make sense to review the books that have touched my heart about prayer. 

I am starting with a children's book. The title is Prayer for a Child. 

This book is a classic for a reason! It so incredibly simple and it sweetly rhymes. 

It's a long list of things to be grateful for during the day.

We can be thankful for the food.

We can be thankful for the world as it is.

We can be thankful for family.

We can be thankful for the care received from others.

We can be thankful for light.

We can be thankful for fire. 

We can be thankful.

It is thankfulness that puts us in God's presence. 

It is gratefulness for life that allows to know that He loves us.

This is such a sweet, small book with profound truths inside.
​

This book won more than a few awards and deservedly so. Richard Foster does a brilliant job of delving in prayer.

Prayer brings you closer to God.

Prayer shows that you need God.

Prayer is an invitation to come near to Him.

Did you hear that? Invitation.

He goes through many kinds of prayer. 

There is the prayer that moves us inward.

Simple prayer.

Prayer of the forsaken.

The prayer of examen.

The prayer of tears.

The prayer of relinquishment

Formation prayer.

Covenant prayer.

There is prayer that moves up upward; this is seeking intimacy with the Savior.

The prayer of adoration.

The prayer of rest. 

Sacramental prayer.

Unceasing prayer.

The prayer of the heart.

Meditative prayer.

Contemplative prayer.

There is prayer that moves outward; this is seeking the ministry we need.

Praying the ordinary prayer.

Petitionary Prayer.

Intercessory Prayer. 

Healing Prayer.

The prayer of suffering.

Authoritative prayer.

Radical prayer.

It's an invitation. 

It's simple. 

God invites us to know Him. 

There is diversity and history here.

Come and know Him a little better than you did.

Prayer.

I bought this book ten years ago and I still remember it.  

This woman wrote about the limits of the rational mind. The rational mind? Isn't that a God we all put before us?

For, according to the ancient tradition known as Wisdom, the human mind's full scope includes heights and depths which rationality can never encompass.

Neglecting these other regions of our being leads to a limited state of mind, known by the Wisdom tradition as sleep.

Yes, that's right, the more invested we are in our intellect, our ego, and our attempts at logical control of the world around us, the more asleep we really are.

I know it all sounds very strange, but I absolutely loved this and I been a fan of Cynthia Bourgeault ever since. 

She defines wisdom.

She points to other traditions.

She invites us out of our sleep.

She writes about three-centered knowing. 

We balance mind, heart, and body.

This book was eye-opening and mind-bending. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Malcolm Guite has become a favorite for me. He posts daily during Advent and Lent. And he had a great post for the Monday of Holy Week this year. This Holy Week has been a bit strange with CoVid 19. I could so relate to his words from his own blog post and I struggled with life...

It has begun in tears: tears of frustration, tears of lament, and for so many who have been cruelly bereaves, tears of grief.

It's hard to see through tears, but sometimes its the only way to see. Tears may be the turning point, the springs of renewal, and to know you have been wept for is to know that you are loved.

'Jesus Wept' is the shortest, sharpest, and most moving sentence in Scripture.

I have a God who weeps for me, weeps with me, understands to the depths and from the inside the rerum lachrymae, the tears of things.

Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem

Jesus comes near and he beholds the city

And looks on us with tears in his eyes,

And wells of mercy, streams of love and pity

Flow from the fountain whence all things arise.

He loved us into life and longs to gather

And meet with his beloved face to face

How often has he called, a careful mother,

And wept for our refusals of his grace,

Wept for a world that, weary with its weeping,

Benumbed and stumbling, turns the other way,

Fatigued compassion is already sleeping

Whilst her worst nightmares stalk the light of day.

But we might waken yet, and face those fears,

If we could see ourselves through Jesus' tears.

This other poem is taken from Sounding the Seasons, a collection of sonnets that takes you through the Christian year. This one is based on the ancient idea of the four elements of earth, air, water and fire. It has both the foot-washing and the first communion, that all these elements of the old creation are taken up by Jesus and transformed in the making of the new. Jesus is both the fully human companion cleansing his friends with a gentle touch, sharing his last supper with them, showing the fullness of his love, and he is also the Word, God in his full creative and shaping power, the One in and through whom everyone in that room, and every element of the world is sustained in the beauty and particularity of its being. What we witness in the birth of the sacraments is both a human drama and a divine act of new creation. Although we cannot be in church to receive the familiar sacrament of this night, it may be, that if our eyes and ears are open we will sense Christ's all-transforming presence even through the ordinary elements of the place where we are.

Maundy Thursday

Here is the source of every sacrament,

The all-transforming presence of the Lord,

Replenishing our every element

Remaking us in his creative Word.

For here the earth herself gives bread and wine,

The air delights to bear his Spirit's speech,

The fire dances where the candles shine,

The waters cleanse us with His gentle touch.

And here He shows the full extent of love

To us whose love is always incomplete,

In vain we search the heavens high above,

The God of love is kneeling at our feet.

Though we betray Him, though it is the night.
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He meets us here and loves us into light.

Have a blessed Easter Everyone! Remember that he overcame death to bring you light and life!

This is one of the books I am reading for Lent and I have to say that it is very good!

​It tells the story of Easter from Amon's perspective. Amon is thirteen years old. He is the son of the son Jotham and Tabitha. He enjoys playing with his friends but is also ready to join his father in the temple court where only men are allowed. He is very eager to be considered a man, but he struggles to divide his time between his friends and his duties to family and faith.

When Jotham is falsely accused of a terrible crime, Amon willingly sacrifices his childhood ways in order to save his father’s life. Along the way, he sees the crowds that gathered on Palm Sunday, outwits the Roman soldiers that planned to kill both his father and Jesus, hears the Messiah address the angry crowds, is present during the daring betrayal of Judas Iscariot, and witnesses the ultimate sacrifice made on Good Friday.

The first part of the book drags a bit but it picks up after that. Amon is initially upset that he will have a female house guest. Some readers may not  find him appealing because he seemed to make such a big deal of it. But the story picks up after this.

Another part of this book that I really like is the Bible verses at the end of the chapters. There are explanations that are one or two paragraphs long. These are short, and the verses tell a story. 

This would actually be a perfect read-aloud book if you have children. The chapters are not very long, the Bible verses are thought provoking, and there are all kinds of things you could ask questions about.