Giving Grace

I'm studying Catherine Martin's A Woman's Walk in Grace, and participating in an online study of this book at Ministry for Women. Last week's chapter was titled "The Fine Art of Gracing Another." I am still pondering that chapter and praying about how I can give grace to others. Today I read an interview with Bono, and these words caught my eye:

I don't let my religious world get too complicated. I just kind of go: Well, I think I know what God is. God is love, and as much as I respond [sighs] in allowing myself to be transformed by that love and acting in that love, that's my religion. Where things get complicated for me, is when I try to live this love. Now that's not so easy. --Bono, in an interview quoted at The Poached Egg

I like the idea that my faith should be reflected by loving actions. He went on to talk about grace:

... along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff.

Amen. Praise God for His grace!

So, back to the idea of gracing others: does that mean I need to give grace to those who do stupid stuff? To my daughter who lost a school book? Again? I'm not talking about not giving consequences, but acting with a graceful attitude. I am praying for a graceful tone of voice and a gentle response. Even to stupid stuff.

This is my post for Thought-Provoking Thursday, hosted at SomeGirl's Website.

(Note: For an interesting look at the faith of several members of U2, check your library for We Get to Carry Each Other: The Gospel According to U2.)

1,000 Gifts, Chapter 2 and 3

I'm reading One Thousand Gifts with the Book Club at Incourage. I think I'll be re-reading this book in the summer, as I am too distracted right now to give it the attention it really deserves. I'll need this book in the summer; it's focus on gratitude will help refocus my heart when the desert heat soars. Summer in the desert is like a winter without any cozy holidays. The weather is intense, we stay indoors as much as possible, and there's a long break from women's Bible study.

Yet as I read the book now, even in my distracted state of mind--planning my participation in two women's retreats and the book I'm writing and the small group meeting in our home and the laundry that is reaching new heights in the hamper--I am being encouraged and challenged.

Let me share with you a quote from chapter 2:

As long as thanks is possible, then joy is always possible. Joy is always possible. Whenever, meaning--now; wherever, meaning--here. The holy grail of joy is not in some exotic location or some emotional mountain peak experience. The joy wonder could be here! Here in the messy, piercing ache of sorrow, joy might be--unbelievably--possible! The only place we need see before we die is this place of seeing God, here and now. (page 33)

Joy is possible. Right here, today. I am not in the place of sorrow the author wrote from, but joy is certainly possible in the bustle of my day-to-day life. Today I will choose to be joyful. I will praise God for the Greek coffee perfuming my morning, the clouds rolling in with the possibility of rain in our desert, and my daughter singing "Spoonful of Sugar" in the bathtub.

And from chapter 3:

I may have always known that change takes real intentionality, like a woman bent over her garden beds every day with a spade and the determined will to grow up something good to strengthen the heart. (p. 44)

That is the main theme of this book so far: a determined will to plant gratitude and grow a grateful attitude. The author describes gratitude as "the language I've got to learn to speak." I agree. With God's help, I will learn this language and teach it to my children. It will strengthen all our hearts.

Ann Voscamp is blogging about the practice of time. I've had such a hard time keeping track of time lately...moments are just slipping away from me. I lose the whole month of January every year, I think. It vanishes. Now here we are halfway into February, I'm enjoying several creative projects that do take a bit of time, but I'm not sure I'm capturing this time and savoring it. This week my goal is to savor time with my oldest child. My little ones tend to crawl in my lap and spend time with me, but I need to be a little more intentional in spending time with my oldest. She likes to do a bit of her schoolwork independently now, and dash off to play when it's done. We do need to do a bit more discussion of said schoolwork, so my plan is to make a pot of tea and make our schoolwork discussion a bit of a date with Mama. She's due for a spelling test too, and the reward for a spelling test is always nail polish. Twenty words on the spelling test...twenty fingers and toes to paint.

How are you savoring the moments of this week?

The Countdown is On

St. Patrick's Day is a month and two days away!

Who was St. Patrick anyway? Read a short summary of his life here on my other blog, Sacredsignposts.com. I'll be posting excerpts from my Sacred Signposts book on that blog between now and St. Pat's.

Roses

Today my husband gave me roses.

Not the long-stemmed variety. No matter where I put fresh flowers, the cats find them. And eat them. And leave little surprises of vomit all over the house.

No, my husband gave me tree roses. Long bare branches in black plastic bags.

And I put them in the backyard, in the sunshine, against the brick wall, where I can admire them from the kitchen window.

Yes, I am admiring the bare branches...because I know their potential! I know the Queen Elizabeth rose will be covered with pink blossoms, and the Mr. Lincoln rose will have wonderfully fragranced red blooms. I read the labels, and I know what the future holds.

Do you feel like a bare branch today? Rejoice, my friend, for God sees your potential. He knows the blooms you will someday wear. He knows just where to plant you, just how to feed you and trim you. He is faithful. The blooms He has in mind for you may be quite different than what you are picturing, but you will bloom. Trust Him.



As I count my blessings with the Multitudes on Mondays bloggers, I am grateful for

my nine year old and her artsiness,
my six year old and her take-life-as-it-comes attitude,
my five year old and her ability to make us all laugh,
my husband--everyone calls him "Amazing" and I just call him "Mine"-- (thanks, Martina McBride for that very quotable song),
my best friend and her phone calls while we clean house (note to self: find Bluetooth attachment so you don't get a sore neck next time you're cleaning and talking on the phone...),
my friends who visited last night and the fun we had discussing life as creative Christians,
my friends who wanted to come last night but were ill (note to self: more vitamins today....),
and the Light of the World who speaks to me through His Word, His sunrises, and all the people mentioned above.

Baked French Toast

This is so easy!

Preheat the oven to 400

Spray a cookie sheet (the kind with a bit of a lip around the edges) with pam.

Melt half a stick of butter, and whisk with 2 Tablespoons maple syrup and the juice of one orange.

Pour into baking pan--a cookie sheet with a lip around it.

Place 10 slices of bread on top--thicker crustier bread is best. If you can't fit all 10 slices on your cookie sheet, cut 2 slices into strips and fit them in around the other slices.

Whisk 5 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice or nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and a bit of orange zest.

Pour over bread.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Turn the toast over when serving. Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon.

We like it with crunchy peanut butter.

Adapted from Debra's Natural Gourmet Cookbook

Psalms for Wednesday

Sometimes when I read Psalms, I am awed by the whole-hearted desire for God expressed by the authors. If I am praying these statements to God, am I being honest? Or are my desires half-hearted at best? I try to turn my thoughts and questions into prayer, asking God to give me a firmer commitment to prayer, a greater love for His word, and a consuming desire for Himself.

God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You.
I thirst for You; my body faints for You
in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water...
My lips will glorify You because Your faithful love is better than life.
So I will praise You as long as I live;
at Your name, I will lift up my hands.
You satisfy me as with rich food;
my mouth will praise You with joyful lips. (Psalm 63:1,3-5)
Your righteousness reaches heaven, God,
You who have done great things;
God, who is like You?
You caused me to experience many troubles and misfortunes,
but You will revive me again.
You will bring me up again,
even from the depths of the earth.
You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.
Therefore, with a lute I will praise You
for Your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing to You with a harp,
Holy One of Israel.
My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praise to You
because You have redeemed me. (Psalm 71:19-22)

Lord, You know my longing for a deeper prayer life. You know I want to speak with You, not just demand Your help or read my prayer list. Give me the desire, the tools, and the time.

(This blogpost is an excerpt from my Sacred Signposts book. I will be posting more excerpts at sacredsignposts.com as St. Patrick's Day approaches.)

Perhaps I should post this sort of thing on Thursdays, to join this blogging group: Thoughtful Thursday at Some Girl's Blog.

Book Study: One Thousand Gifts, chapter one

My online friend Linda at Being Woven mentioned the book One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voscamp. The subtitle of this book is "A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are." I liked the sound of that, so I ordered the book. I found a discussion of this book at Incourage and I decided to join.

Today the book arrived and I rushed through the first chapter. I had to hurry because the first chapter was so emotional, and I didn't have time to be emotional today. The chapter describes the griefs the author has experienced. Those griefs were a little too close to home. She writes of losing her sister when they were both children, and later losing two infant nephews. At least I think those were the losses mentioned. I can't go back and re-read that part right now. I cannot absorb the heartbreaking words. This month it is eleven years since my first miscarriage--a different loss than those mentioned in the book--but the loss of a child at any stage of life is heartbreaking. At the time, I felt as if I wasn't really supposed to be grieving--after all, I hadn't met my children--and somehow that just added to the grief. I wasn't sure the rest of the world considered my grief valid. And that hurt.

So...I rushed through those first few pages of One Thousand Gifts, struggling with memories. And then I came to this beautiful thought:

I wonder... if the rent in the canvas of our life backdrop, the losses that
puncture our world, our own emptiness, might actually become places to
see.
To see through to God.
That that which tears open our souls, those holes that splatter our sight,
may actually become the thin, open places to see through the mess of this place
to the heart-aching beauty beyond. To Him. To the God whom we endlessly
crave.

I can testify to the truth of that statement. Certainly the losses in my life have become places to see through to God.

I look back at my miscarriages and I cannot say, even eleven years later, that I am thankful for them. No, they are wounds that, though no longer requiring a bandage, have certainly left a scar.

But I can say that those losses made me who I am today.
They made me call out to God as I never had before.
They made me read the book of Psalms with a desperation I had never felt before.
They made me trust in God's sovereignty. It was easy to see that God had some beautiful purpose for my babies to fulfill in heaven. But to trust that there was a purpose for me...that there was a point to all the tears and grief...that was harder.

Most of all, losing Robin and Hope made me realize the presence of God with me. It didn't matter what the rest of the world thought of my grief when the Creator promised to carry my sorrows.

That is a gift. That is why I can live fully right where I am.

Remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. (Matthew 28:20)


You can read Ann Voscamp's blog here.

I looked at a few "Multitudes on Mondays" posts (see the button above) and I see that other participants are listing blessings. I don't know that I really want to number them. That seems far too organized for me. But here are a few of today's blessings:
*That orange scarf hanging in my closet--a duplicate of the one my youngest daughter gave me for Christmas and I promptly lost. I found this on clearance a few days ago.
*My children joyfully singing together in the backyard after a few Monday squabbles.
*Guacamole. Homemade. By my Husband.
*Catherine Martin's A Heart that Hopes in God study and all the women studying this with me on Tuesdays.

Roasted Broccoli with Feta and Walnuts

My middle daughter has chosen broccoli as her favorite food. She likes it raw, steamed or roasted. She's not picky. This is my favorite way to eat broccoli. A cup of it prepared this way (before you add the cheese and walnuts) is about 75 calories.

2 1/2 pounds broccoli pieces
3 or 4 diced cloves garlic
1 or 2 tsp Penzey's Sweet Curry Powder
(if you've tried curry powder from the grocery store and didn't like it...this is quite different)
1 Tbsp and 1 tsp olive oil
salt

Feta, crumbled (about 40 calories per tablespoon if you're counting)
Walnuts, chopped (about 43 calories per tablespoon)

Preheat oven to 425.
Toss broccoli and garlic with curry powder, olive oil and salt.

Spread broccoli out in baking dishes. I use two 9 x 13s and one 8 x 8. Roasting vegetables need room, or they will steam rather than roast.
Bake at 425 for 20 to 25 minutes.

Garnish individual bowls with feta and walnuts. The amount of feta and walnuts you use will depend on whether this is your main dish or a side dish. I like to give this to my kids as a main dish when they are wanting popcorn for dessert. This gives them veggies and protein and dairy and healthy monunsaturated fats (olive oil and walnuts) before they fill up on popcorn.

Variations:

Try crumbled blue cheese and pecans for the cheese and nuts.

Or serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Skip the nuts and top with diced salami--maybe use some Italian herbs instead of curry powder. Shredded mozzarella cheese would work well with the salami.

Cauliflower is just as yummy.


This is the amount I make to serve the five of us as a side dish.

Praying in Color

Several years ago I read Praying in Color, by Sybil Macbeth. Suddenly my prayer journal was colorful and I was praying longer and more detailed prayers. Praying in Color is a simple concept: doodle while you pray. Keep your hands busy with a marker and your eyes busy with a lot of colors, and you just may find it easier to focus.

God created color, and if you love it, this might be a great prayer tool for you. If you are often interrupted while you pray, this may help you re-focus when the interruption is over. If you have no artistic ability, this is for you. If you are a fabulous artist, this is for you too. If you are easily distracted while you pray, this is definitely a tool for you. There are a million ways to adapt this simple idea, but here's what I do.

Step 1



I make the page pretty. I've always found it easier to write in journals that have a few decorative elements on the page, and this gives me that feeling. I use stencils, partly because it speeds up this step, and partly because I cannot draw. Not at all. I also add a phrase from a verse; I usually read a Psalm before I pray. Sometimes I add a bit of a hymn.

Step 2
I add names--from my prayer list and my heart. I add words--fruits of the Spirit and character qualities. I work quickly, praying short prayers while I write. I am often interrupted as I finish this step.


Step 3

Sometimes I do this step several hours after the previous steps. Seeing the picture and the words reminds me where I stopped. I grab a different color and I dive right back in again. I doodle around the words and the names as I talk to God. My hand is busy with the pen and my eyes are busy with the colors and I am able to focus. I think about the phrase Christians often use when talking about prayer: "bringing you to the throne of grace." If I were bringing a friend to meet a King, I would do more than mention the friend's name and rush away; I would stay and talk to the King about my friend's needs and concerns.

Step 5

I don't always do this step, but if I happen to think of it, I open my prayer journal in the evening and pray again. I use yet another color and I might add a few more names if I've heard about a prayer request during the day.

That's how I pray in color, but the tool is very adaptable to different personalities.

My friend Claudia prays in color by coloring a detailed page from a coloring book while she meditates and listens to the Lord. This helps her focus...and refocus when her children interrupt her.

My friend Suzanne draws objects to represent her prayer requests, and hangs the drawings in her kitchen. Without any names or words on the page, she can keep personal requests in a very visible place and remember to pray for them throughout the day.

My friend Connie taught a Bible study and prayed for the women in color. She used one piece of paper each week, beginning with names and simple shapes on the first day and adding more colors and patterns every day. She posted the photos on facebook. I was in that group, and every day I could see that she was praying for me. This was so encouraging!

Sometimes I use Praying in Color to pray someone else's words: an ancient prayer or a Psalm. Here's St. Patrick's prayer (I used it as a memory tool for the Apostle Paul's prayers in my Sacred Signposts book):

My nine-year-old prays in color occasionally. I love teaching my children that prayer does not have to be solemn.
Here are some other ideas for putting this into practice. Some of these are my own ideas and some come from the Praying in Color book:

A colorful page of praises

Names of God

Meditate on a verse or one word

Dump all your complaints and whining on a page of paper. Give them all to God and stop dwelling on them.

Draw or list important events in your spiritual life. Praise God for them, and entrust painful memories to Him.

Make a colorful list of your mentors.

Make a personal mission statement or list of goals you're praying about.

Pray through a writing project--doodling the chapter titles or key words.

Use this method to pray in a crowded environment; you'll be focused but your conversation will be private.

Keep a small journal near your bed. Write a short gratitude list each night. Make it colorful!

Pray in color during Advent. See example here.

Not sure where to start? Write a friend's name on a paper. Draw a circle or a square or a wobbly line around it. Add doodles...dots, lines, shapes, whatever. While your hand is busy, talk to God about your friend. Repeat with another friend's name. It's that easy.

If you've blogged about Praying in Color, I'd love to see a link to your page!

For more examples, check out the author's website.

You might have noticed...

...I took a break from blogging. I will soon return. :)