Words of wisdom from Thomas Keating exerpted from Looking For Happiness:
We come now to the heart of the problem of the human condition. Jesus addressed this problem head-on in the gospel. What was his first word when beginning his ministry? "Repent." To repent is not to take on afflictive penances like fasting, vigils, flagellation or whatever else appeals. It means to change the direction in which you are looking for happiness.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Friday, December 23, 2011
The Magnificat (A comtemporary translation by John Shea)
All that I am
sings of the God
who brings his life
to birth in me.
My spirit soars
on the wings of my Lord.
He has smiled on me
and the blaze of his smile
no woman or man
shall ever forget.
My God is a gentle strength
who has caught me up
and carried me to greatness.
His love
space cannot hold
nor time age
and all quicken to his touch.
My God is a torrent of justice.
He takes the straight paths
in the minds of the proud
and twists them to labyrinth.
The boot of the oppressor
he pushes aside
and raises the lowly,
whom he loves,
from the ground.
With his own hands
he sets a table for the hungry
but the unfeeling rich
suffer the cold eye
of his judgment.
Our mothers and our fathers
he has held in his arms
and the future grows
like this child within me
for the God of whom I sing
bears us his son.
sings of the God
who brings his life
to birth in me.
My spirit soars
on the wings of my Lord.
He has smiled on me
and the blaze of his smile
no woman or man
shall ever forget.
My God is a gentle strength
who has caught me up
and carried me to greatness.
His love
space cannot hold
nor time age
and all quicken to his touch.
My God is a torrent of justice.
He takes the straight paths
in the minds of the proud
and twists them to labyrinth.
The boot of the oppressor
he pushes aside
and raises the lowly,
whom he loves,
from the ground.
With his own hands
he sets a table for the hungry
but the unfeeling rich
suffer the cold eye
of his judgment.
Our mothers and our fathers
he has held in his arms
and the future grows
like this child within me
for the God of whom I sing
bears us his son.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Here is a beautiful Christmas hymn from Norway.
Please follow the link and be sure to read the words at the bottom of the screen. The soprano's voice and text make this an almost mystical experience. Youtube: Sissel - Mitt Hjerte Alltid Vanker (My Heart Always Wanders) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27JqZ8eEZlw
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Close to worship
Whenever beauty overwhelms us, whenever wonder silences our chattering hopes and worries, we are close to worship. - Richard Cabot
The above quote was sent out as part of a project of The Church of the Savior -inward/outward. Check out their website http://www.inwardoutward.org/ and, if you want, sign up to receive inspirational quotes and essays sent to your inbox.
The above quote was sent out as part of a project of The Church of the Savior -inward/outward. Check out their website http://www.inwardoutward.org/ and, if you want, sign up to receive inspirational quotes and essays sent to your inbox.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
A sermon for the Second Sunday of Advent
When I was young I dreamed of traveling. I dreamed that someday I would move to New York, D. C., or California. A few years ago I boarded a plane to California for a visit. It was 22 degrees when I left. When I sat down for lunch the next day the temperature had climbed to 90 degrees. It was only a matter of time before I packed my bags and made the move.
There were a few things to get used to though… they go under the heading “you know you’re in California when.” You know you’re in California when you think $4.00 for gasoline isn’t so bad, when 65 degrees is freezing and 80 degrees is getting a little warm, and when the fastest part of your commute is going down your own driveway. I’ve also learned that there are basically two seasons in California – summer and construction.
So we are now in the great season of Construction. Traffic slows. There are pot holes to fill in, cracks to repair, some bridges need attention, and roads need to be widened to accommodate traffic.
I think the season of Advent and Construction have something in common. Advent is also a good time think about road conditions, to slow down, and build up the infrastructure. Today’s lessons ask us to 1) prepare for God, 2) repair for God, and 3) declare for God.
In the reading from Isaiah we are given the imagery of a great building project, a heavenly highway. If I can paraphrase a little, we can hear Isaiah call to us here in San Rafael, to us here at St. Paul’s, “prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the California deserts and coastlands a highway for our God.”
But what on earth does it mean to lift up valleys and make mountains low. Just what does Isaiah mean by leveling the ground and making the rough places plain? Are we to remove the mountain tops and use the rubble to fill in the valleys and level the roads? The mountain ranges off the 5 and 580 are majestic and awe inspiring. Certainly God doesn’t want to demolish them? And then it hit me… Perhaps Isaiah isn’t speaking about real mountains and valleys.
I believe he’s speaking instead about the heart. Perhaps the human heart, in a sense, is our highway to God. Where the heart is high and lifted up it needs to be made low. When we walk in true humility with God, God lifts us up. Doesn’t it say in Micah that what God really wants from us is to do justice, love kindness, and to walk humbly before him?
Humility is seeing us as God sees us. We are like roughhewn stones. God wants to build with us but some of our edges need to be smoothed and polished. Our heart needs “preparation.”
Now the reading from Mark echoes that of Isaiah but adds the character of John the Baptist. The Baptizer is sent to us now, in Advent, ahead of Christ’s coming among us, to help us prepare the “way” - ὁδός,n \{hod-os'} in Greek. It means “a well travelled way, a road” and metaphorically our course of conduct – our manner of thinking. We are called to examine our conduct and our thinking in light of God’s return.
I’ll be honest. I think it is important to keep a good Advent as preparation for a holy Christmas, not just by stringing garland and hanging lights, but by looking at our thoughts and actions… to admit where I have missed the mark, and, with God’s help and grace, to change direction… to smooth my rough places out a bit.
Advent gives me a chance to do that – to clean up the house so Christ isn’t turned away because I’ve become too busy or I’m moving too fast to notice the knock at the door. Advent is a time to prepare for the coming of Christ in prayer. Prayer helps us develop longing for our beloved. In prayer we establish our center of gravity – Jesus. All things, according to Dante in Paradisio, seek their true place. Man’s place is God and to rise to Him is therefore natural to man. We rise to God at the same time that God comes down to us. God comes to us if we draw close to God.
Advent is also a time of repair. The second letter of Peter talks to us about the coming of the Lord and what sort of persons we ought to be - leading lives of holiness and godliness. Peter reminds us that “we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.”
Righteousness comes from relationship with God. It has something to do with “right actions”. In Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah, there is an understanding that the light of God can be found in the brokenness of the world. God’s people are called to help to “tikkun” - to repair the brokenness and reveal the light and love of God. When we perform mitz-vah (acts of charity) we help repair God’s creation. With each repair, a little spark is released, and creation glows.
In the past few months I’ve tried to catch a glimpse of some of the work done by the parishioners of St. Pauls. I’ve seen sparks of light and hope ignited on Sunday mornings through hospitality of ushers and parishioners, by handing out groceries to those in need at the Ritter Center, by the many discipleship groups that meet to learn how to follow Christ more closely and hold each other up in prayer, by the hard work of the St. Anne’s Guild – they’re a major part of the infrastructure – raising over $4000.00 for the work and mission of St. Pauls, and by joining with seniors at the Fifth Avenue Healthcare Center and helping to lead an ecumenical service. Simply turning pagers, singing the old well-loved hymns, exchanging the peace and a healing touch during the service brings a little bit of “tikkun”, of repair, and kindles the warmth of God’s love where there is often loneliness and despair.
Advent is a good time to ask if God may be calling you to participate in this work of repair.
Peter’s letter goes on to say, “Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish.” Repair involves peace and wholeness, or as our elder brothers and sisters in the faith call it, “Shalom.” God’s peace is one of completeness, of health and contentment. It is found in right relationship with God and God’s creation.
Finally, we are called to declare to others that God is near. Returning to Isaiah, we are given words of comfort. “Comfort my people”, says God. Cry out, in the midst of these troubling times the good news that God is near us. We are envoys of Christ’s kingdom. "See, I am sending my messenger who will prepare your way.”
Mark uses an interesting word in Greek - ἄγγελος,n \{ang'-el-os} “angel”. We are called to be God’s angels on earth. Our message is God’s love.
So this Advent prepare yourselves for God is nearer than we first thought. Help God repair God’s good creation and be God’s healing and health giving hands. And finally, declare to God and everyone you come in contact with the great things God is doing in your life. Amen.
- This sermon was preached on 4 December 2011 at St. Paul's in San Rafael
There were a few things to get used to though… they go under the heading “you know you’re in California when.” You know you’re in California when you think $4.00 for gasoline isn’t so bad, when 65 degrees is freezing and 80 degrees is getting a little warm, and when the fastest part of your commute is going down your own driveway. I’ve also learned that there are basically two seasons in California – summer and construction.
So we are now in the great season of Construction. Traffic slows. There are pot holes to fill in, cracks to repair, some bridges need attention, and roads need to be widened to accommodate traffic.
I think the season of Advent and Construction have something in common. Advent is also a good time think about road conditions, to slow down, and build up the infrastructure. Today’s lessons ask us to 1) prepare for God, 2) repair for God, and 3) declare for God.
In the reading from Isaiah we are given the imagery of a great building project, a heavenly highway. If I can paraphrase a little, we can hear Isaiah call to us here in San Rafael, to us here at St. Paul’s, “prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the California deserts and coastlands a highway for our God.”
But what on earth does it mean to lift up valleys and make mountains low. Just what does Isaiah mean by leveling the ground and making the rough places plain? Are we to remove the mountain tops and use the rubble to fill in the valleys and level the roads? The mountain ranges off the 5 and 580 are majestic and awe inspiring. Certainly God doesn’t want to demolish them? And then it hit me… Perhaps Isaiah isn’t speaking about real mountains and valleys.
I believe he’s speaking instead about the heart. Perhaps the human heart, in a sense, is our highway to God. Where the heart is high and lifted up it needs to be made low. When we walk in true humility with God, God lifts us up. Doesn’t it say in Micah that what God really wants from us is to do justice, love kindness, and to walk humbly before him?
Humility is seeing us as God sees us. We are like roughhewn stones. God wants to build with us but some of our edges need to be smoothed and polished. Our heart needs “preparation.”
Now the reading from Mark echoes that of Isaiah but adds the character of John the Baptist. The Baptizer is sent to us now, in Advent, ahead of Christ’s coming among us, to help us prepare the “way” - ὁδός,n \{hod-os'} in Greek. It means “a well travelled way, a road” and metaphorically our course of conduct – our manner of thinking. We are called to examine our conduct and our thinking in light of God’s return.
I’ll be honest. I think it is important to keep a good Advent as preparation for a holy Christmas, not just by stringing garland and hanging lights, but by looking at our thoughts and actions… to admit where I have missed the mark, and, with God’s help and grace, to change direction… to smooth my rough places out a bit.
Advent gives me a chance to do that – to clean up the house so Christ isn’t turned away because I’ve become too busy or I’m moving too fast to notice the knock at the door. Advent is a time to prepare for the coming of Christ in prayer. Prayer helps us develop longing for our beloved. In prayer we establish our center of gravity – Jesus. All things, according to Dante in Paradisio, seek their true place. Man’s place is God and to rise to Him is therefore natural to man. We rise to God at the same time that God comes down to us. God comes to us if we draw close to God.
Advent is also a time of repair. The second letter of Peter talks to us about the coming of the Lord and what sort of persons we ought to be - leading lives of holiness and godliness. Peter reminds us that “we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.”
Righteousness comes from relationship with God. It has something to do with “right actions”. In Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah, there is an understanding that the light of God can be found in the brokenness of the world. God’s people are called to help to “tikkun” - to repair the brokenness and reveal the light and love of God. When we perform mitz-vah (acts of charity) we help repair God’s creation. With each repair, a little spark is released, and creation glows.
In the past few months I’ve tried to catch a glimpse of some of the work done by the parishioners of St. Pauls. I’ve seen sparks of light and hope ignited on Sunday mornings through hospitality of ushers and parishioners, by handing out groceries to those in need at the Ritter Center, by the many discipleship groups that meet to learn how to follow Christ more closely and hold each other up in prayer, by the hard work of the St. Anne’s Guild – they’re a major part of the infrastructure – raising over $4000.00 for the work and mission of St. Pauls, and by joining with seniors at the Fifth Avenue Healthcare Center and helping to lead an ecumenical service. Simply turning pagers, singing the old well-loved hymns, exchanging the peace and a healing touch during the service brings a little bit of “tikkun”, of repair, and kindles the warmth of God’s love where there is often loneliness and despair.
Advent is a good time to ask if God may be calling you to participate in this work of repair.
Peter’s letter goes on to say, “Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish.” Repair involves peace and wholeness, or as our elder brothers and sisters in the faith call it, “Shalom.” God’s peace is one of completeness, of health and contentment. It is found in right relationship with God and God’s creation.
Finally, we are called to declare to others that God is near. Returning to Isaiah, we are given words of comfort. “Comfort my people”, says God. Cry out, in the midst of these troubling times the good news that God is near us. We are envoys of Christ’s kingdom. "See, I am sending my messenger who will prepare your way.”
Mark uses an interesting word in Greek - ἄγγελος,n \{ang'-el-os} “angel”. We are called to be God’s angels on earth. Our message is God’s love.
So this Advent prepare yourselves for God is nearer than we first thought. Help God repair God’s good creation and be God’s healing and health giving hands. And finally, declare to God and everyone you come in contact with the great things God is doing in your life. Amen.
- This sermon was preached on 4 December 2011 at St. Paul's in San Rafael
Monday, November 14, 2011
Sermon for Sunday, November 13, 2011, given at All Saints Chapel
It’s hard to get through a day without hearing something about Occupy Wall Street and its many incarnations. With all the attention, the media coverage, and political pundits pontificating, an important fact can easily be crowded out… in addition to poor economic growth, we now know that a record 46.2 million Americans currently live in poverty.
Let me preface the conversation by saying that it doesn’t matter if we identify as conservative, liberal, moderate, or fed up. As a bumper sticker explains – “God is not a Republican and neither is he a Democrat.” You see, God doesn’t belong to anyone. Everyone belongs to God. Everyone.
What can today’s lessons teach us about poverty and need? The word “poor” appears over two hundred times in the bible. The bible often gives voice to the problems of the poor.
Listen to the Psalm’s heartrending lament:
Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.
Who is making this lament? Chances are that many of us have given up a lot to be here in grad school, in order to get a seminary education, and become leaders in the church. Some of us may have even taken a vow of poverty showing solidarity with the least of God’s children.
Some of us have given up well-paying jobs and feel some financial need. That said, most of us are not truly poor. Most of us are living comfortable lives with decent food and shelter. So when we hear this lament, this cry for help, is it for us or someone else?
Who today is experiencing the scorn of those who are at ease, the contempt of the proud , crying out for mercy? It could be the record 46.2 million Americans currently living in poverty. It could be any one of the 1.4 billion or more in developing countries living in extreme poverty. It could be the man in church on All Soul’s day by himself in the pew, trying to hold his head up, weary and looking for warmth and solace.
Today I want to re-focus our attention on the needs of those among us, within our borders and without, living in need of hope. I want, with God’s help, to strengthen the hands of the faithful, arouse the conscience of the careless, and restore the penitent to right relationship.
You who faithfully serve the common good, your works are evidence of your love. You have been faithful in seeking justice, making strangers friends, setting up homeless feeding programs, serving at food banks, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting nursing homes and institutions. You have responded to these cries for mercy. You know that the Lord requires justice, kindness, and humility. You don’t boast, and probably believe you are not doing enough. You do realize it is both privilege and obligation to love.
When we serve, we see ourselves and Christ reflected in a mirror, ministering to others ministers to our own need for connection and meaning. Our own problems often diminish and our outlook on life brightens. May God continue to strengthen us.
Perhaps some of us have worked hard in the past. Years ago I was part of a team that helped start a homeless breakfast program, but after a while I got involved in other things. I was tired. I got distracted. I confess I sometimes need a wakeup call from God.
In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, God pricked Paul’s heart to sound an alarm. The Thessalonians had done great things, but after a while they found themselves sidetracked, perhaps they were tired, distracted from God’s work for them. So Paul tries to arouse them:
… let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
Paul invites us to get off the sidelines and get back into the game… to fight the good fight. That’s what the armor is for… the work of God. We can all do something. The law of love compels us forward.
In another place, Paul explains that putting on the armor of God involves living honorably, not focused solely on our own good, not spending time quarreling over politics or pointing fingers, but to do something to make someone’s life better. Paul asks us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. In faith, to reach out as Christ reached out… to use our hands to restore hope to the poor… letting love arouse us when we are careless, and restore us to right relationship… reminding us of the good we have done and the good we have left undone.
Paul reminds us that when we wear the breastplate of faith and love, we will need the helmet the hope. We all need hope. It saves us from despair, from thinking our contribution doesn’t matter. Robert Kennedy once said that “Each time we stand up for an ideal, or act to improve the lot of others, or strike out against injustice, we send forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
Hope allows us to be generous when we ourselves live in fear of foreclosure on our own dreams. It’s said that generosity is a sure sign of the kingdom of God. God is present in generosity. God is present in hope. God is present in our love. Amen.
Let me preface the conversation by saying that it doesn’t matter if we identify as conservative, liberal, moderate, or fed up. As a bumper sticker explains – “God is not a Republican and neither is he a Democrat.” You see, God doesn’t belong to anyone. Everyone belongs to God. Everyone.
What can today’s lessons teach us about poverty and need? The word “poor” appears over two hundred times in the bible. The bible often gives voice to the problems of the poor.
Listen to the Psalm’s heartrending lament:
Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.
Who is making this lament? Chances are that many of us have given up a lot to be here in grad school, in order to get a seminary education, and become leaders in the church. Some of us may have even taken a vow of poverty showing solidarity with the least of God’s children.
Some of us have given up well-paying jobs and feel some financial need. That said, most of us are not truly poor. Most of us are living comfortable lives with decent food and shelter. So when we hear this lament, this cry for help, is it for us or someone else?
Who today is experiencing the scorn of those who are at ease, the contempt of the proud , crying out for mercy? It could be the record 46.2 million Americans currently living in poverty. It could be any one of the 1.4 billion or more in developing countries living in extreme poverty. It could be the man in church on All Soul’s day by himself in the pew, trying to hold his head up, weary and looking for warmth and solace.
Today I want to re-focus our attention on the needs of those among us, within our borders and without, living in need of hope. I want, with God’s help, to strengthen the hands of the faithful, arouse the conscience of the careless, and restore the penitent to right relationship.
You who faithfully serve the common good, your works are evidence of your love. You have been faithful in seeking justice, making strangers friends, setting up homeless feeding programs, serving at food banks, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting nursing homes and institutions. You have responded to these cries for mercy. You know that the Lord requires justice, kindness, and humility. You don’t boast, and probably believe you are not doing enough. You do realize it is both privilege and obligation to love.
When we serve, we see ourselves and Christ reflected in a mirror, ministering to others ministers to our own need for connection and meaning. Our own problems often diminish and our outlook on life brightens. May God continue to strengthen us.
Perhaps some of us have worked hard in the past. Years ago I was part of a team that helped start a homeless breakfast program, but after a while I got involved in other things. I was tired. I got distracted. I confess I sometimes need a wakeup call from God.
In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, God pricked Paul’s heart to sound an alarm. The Thessalonians had done great things, but after a while they found themselves sidetracked, perhaps they were tired, distracted from God’s work for them. So Paul tries to arouse them:
… let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
Paul invites us to get off the sidelines and get back into the game… to fight the good fight. That’s what the armor is for… the work of God. We can all do something. The law of love compels us forward.
In another place, Paul explains that putting on the armor of God involves living honorably, not focused solely on our own good, not spending time quarreling over politics or pointing fingers, but to do something to make someone’s life better. Paul asks us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. In faith, to reach out as Christ reached out… to use our hands to restore hope to the poor… letting love arouse us when we are careless, and restore us to right relationship… reminding us of the good we have done and the good we have left undone.
Paul reminds us that when we wear the breastplate of faith and love, we will need the helmet the hope. We all need hope. It saves us from despair, from thinking our contribution doesn’t matter. Robert Kennedy once said that “Each time we stand up for an ideal, or act to improve the lot of others, or strike out against injustice, we send forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
Hope allows us to be generous when we ourselves live in fear of foreclosure on our own dreams. It’s said that generosity is a sure sign of the kingdom of God. God is present in generosity. God is present in hope. God is present in our love. Amen.
Monday, September 5, 2011
My heart's destination
Last night I dreamed a series of dreams that involved a swirl of activity and effort. I'm actually tired from all the running around. This might have something to do with the swirl of activity that took place last week helping to get the sacristy back in order for the upcoming term and in helping with the orientation of the entering class. The semester officially begins on Tuesday, September 6th.
I'm excited for the upcoming school year and enjoyed seeing all my old friends from CDSP and the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) over the past week. The entering class is full of excitement and idealism. They are smart and eager to begin.
I mourn the fact that the friends I made in the former graduating class have moved on and their voices will not fill the chapel, refectory and halls of CDSP. I hope to stay connected to as many of them as possible. I was able to show my support to my good friend, the Rev. Irene Tanabe, and go to her ordination at St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle. She may be a new priest, but she is already making a difference in her community. Brava Irene! God knew what she was doing when you exprerienced your call.
Spending some time with Irene in her home and amongst her family and friends showed me the extent to her hospitable nature and welcoming spirit. Irene invited me to sing at the service and, though I expected to sing just one song, I sang If with all your heart you truly seek me, from Felix Mendelssohn's oratorio, Elijah, and Panis angelicus, written by Saint Thomas Aquinas with music by Cesar Frank. The words were written for the Feast of Corpus Cristi and are the penultimate strophe of the hymn Sacris solemniis.
Here is the English translation -
I'm excited for the upcoming school year and enjoyed seeing all my old friends from CDSP and the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) over the past week. The entering class is full of excitement and idealism. They are smart and eager to begin.
I mourn the fact that the friends I made in the former graduating class have moved on and their voices will not fill the chapel, refectory and halls of CDSP. I hope to stay connected to as many of them as possible. I was able to show my support to my good friend, the Rev. Irene Tanabe, and go to her ordination at St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle. She may be a new priest, but she is already making a difference in her community. Brava Irene! God knew what she was doing when you exprerienced your call.
Spending some time with Irene in her home and amongst her family and friends showed me the extent to her hospitable nature and welcoming spirit. Irene invited me to sing at the service and, though I expected to sing just one song, I sang If with all your heart you truly seek me, from Felix Mendelssohn's oratorio, Elijah, and Panis angelicus, written by Saint Thomas Aquinas with music by Cesar Frank. The words were written for the Feast of Corpus Cristi and are the penultimate strophe of the hymn Sacris solemniis.
Here is the English translation -
The angelic bread
becomes the bread of men;
the heavenly bread
ends all prefigurations:
What wonder!
The Lord is eaten
by a poor
and humble servent.
What is sometimes overlooked is the very last part of this beautiful hymn. Read on...
Triune God,
We beg of you:
visit us,
just as we worship you.
By your ways,
lead us where we are heading,
to the light
in which you dwell.
Amen.
This captures where I am today: I'm in motion. I'm excited to begin classes and Field Education with Fr. Christopher Martin and the good people of St. Paul's in San Rafael. I'm excited to make new friends. I will miss my partner and those whose journeys have taken them to new places of pilgrimage. Yet, I pray that in worshipping the living God, the relational God of Creation, Sanctification, and Redemption, my path will continue to be illuminated. My heart's destination is "to the light in which you dwell" - the radiant heart of God. I pray we find ourselves there together.
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