Advent meditation: Love
After retiring to its new underground home, the seed adjusts to life in the Darkness. It takes some time, but after a while, it resigns …
prayer
Advent meditation: Hope
A self-sowing seed begins in the light. It holds on for as long as it can, but then weather changes, time passes, and nutrients fade. …
a psalm of sacred space
When the world becomes a busy placeand I need to reconnect with you,I go to my sanctuary,my kitchen,and there I find you at my table.You …
a psalm of awakening
O, My Maker,Let the morning come.Let the sun rise slowlyoutside my windowpeeking through silhouettesof dark trees.Let the hummingbirdswake the worldwith chirps of delight.Let the rabbits …
a psalm of harvest
God of Bounty, We offer thanksgiving to you in this season of harvest. For the food you created, for the rich soil that sheltered the …
86,400 seconds
blogger’s note: If you’ve been following me for awhile, you willl recognize this post. There are many iterations of it on this site as it …
seeking restoration
It has been quite some time since I have been actively engaged in a faith community. I have been seeking, wrestling, discerning, and waiting, and …
the voices
This morning, I’ve had the gift of some alone time on the back porch as the world wakes up into Saturday. It did not take …
your prayers
Dear Friends and Family, About seven months ago, Bob and I started planning for me to have a space apart as a studio, meditation room, …
lady wisdom
A few years ago, my devotion journal highlighted Proverbs 8, a lovely and insightful text about Lady Wisdom or Sophia. As Holy Wisdom, she personifies …
baking bread
If you follow Growing Grace Farm on Instagram or Facebook, you know that I have been reading Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat. My …
my affirmation of faith
Some of you may not know that I am lifelong United Methodist (UMC), and in 2009, I was commissioned as a Deaconess in the UMC …
lessons learned: at the heart of it
When my sister and I were little, our mother would surprise us by serving an artichoke with our dinner. We found it magical to peel …
i go to the woods
How I go to the woods Ordinarily, I go to the woods alone, with not a singlefriend, for they are all smilers and talkers and …
i went to the woods
I went to the wood yesterday to walk, to pray, to cry, and to surrender all that was nagging at my bones and my spirit. …
wintering
from Growing Grace: A Book of Psalms Celebrating Creation I’ve put the gardens to bed and shored up the chicken coop. I’ve stored the tools …
preparing for the longest night
As we prepare for the longest night of the year, I’ve been reflecting Darkness and the journeys we take with her. Whether it’s related to …
a psalm of hope
from the newly released book Growing Grace: A Book of Psalms Celebrating Creation Our Healer, our Hope, We greet you in the morning with fresh faces …
a psalm of just be
from the newly released book Growing Grace: A Book of Psalms Celebrating Creation Eternal One, I confess that I long to sit within your silence, but …
oremus
On long journeys by car or by plane, I like to catch up on my favorite podcast On Being with Krista Tippett. Over the years, various poets, …
birdsong
This morning as I surrendered to God on my yoga mat, I heard the loveliest song coming from a bird several trees away from my …
prayer for re-creation
Compassionate Creator, Set me among these hills in the grass. Fill my spirit with the songs of birds and the whispers of wind. Let the …
intentions
My message at our contemplative service for January 28, 2018. I did not write this sermon down, but the same gist is here. Well, we’re …
Walter Rauschenbusch’s prayer for thanksgiving
For the wide sky and the blessed sun, For the salt sea and the running water, For the everlasting hills And the never-resting winds, For …
morning prayer
let the morning come let the sun rise slowly outside my window peeking through silhouettes of dark trees let the hummingbirds wake the world with …
the psalm of waiting
Waiting is hard for most of us. Not necessarily because we have to be where we are but because want to get to where we …
you are here
Beloved, You are here in the morning light dappling the porch You are here in the chilly breeze tickling my neck You are here in …
lessons learned: the gift of deep peace
Deep peace of the running wave to you. Deep peace of the flowing air to you. Deep peace of the quiet earth to you. Deep …
contemplative worship: pray your prayer
Elements from today’s Sanctuary service at Skyland UMC: Opening Meditation: My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see …
morning mantra: praying with Spirit
During my morning yoga sessions, I usually spend time emptying myself and just let the Spirit move within. This morning, I found myself praying the …
remembering this day
I’m sure many of us recall where we were when we first witnessed or heard the news about the World Trade Center or the Pentagon …
wild geese
This morning amidst the rustling trees and chattering hens, I heard them. I can’t say that even in the distance they were quiet. They flew …
St. Catherine of Siena’s Rest in Prayer
The sun hears the fields talking about effort and the sun smiles, and whispers to me, “Why don’t the fields just rest, for I am …
Mary Oliver’s reflection on prayer
While at my spiritual direction residency, I was introduced to a poem about trees from Mary Oliver’s book Thirst. Upon returning home, I purchased the …
Lessons learned: canning and prayer
I wrote this one several summers ago, and with the onset of canning season, I have returned to it this week. I find that each …
prayer of the heart
The prayer of the heart is the source of all good, refreshing the soul as if it were a garden. ~St. Gregory of Sinai (d.1360), …
Laura Barnhart’s prayer~Awakening Wonder
Dear God, I have been numb and asleep, Days pass and I forget to notice moments of wonder and discovery. Renew and refresh all my …
lessons learned: the benefits of a good soaking
It has been dry here the past couple of weeks, and my gardens have begun to suffer a bit. New seed starts wither and sunflowers …
Spring poetry and prayer
Lord, the air smells good today, straight from the mysteries within the garden of God. The trees in their prayer, the birds in praise, the …