By Carol Dixon —
Cocooned in God’s eternal love,
With confidence I face this day,
Uplifted by the peace of Christ
Within me as I rise and pray.
God’s power holds me as I wake,
God’s spirit blesses as I bathe,
Christ sits at table while I eat
And walks with me upon my way.
My Lord is in each daily task,
In every person that I meet,
In random thoughts and idle chat,
He comes to me in all I greet.
God’s presence warms each shop and home,
With each kind word Christ welcomes me;
Should I forget that he is there,
Then signs of God around I see.
I see him in the rolling hills,
In drifting clouds across the sky,
In snail trails on the city streets,
In sound of raindrops, raven’s cry.
In children’s laughter, old man’s smile,
In work-worn hands I glimpse God’s care,
In tear-filled eyes, companion’s kiss;
In all creation, God is there.
Cocooned in God’s eternal love,
I lay aside my cares this day;
Christ’s peace will keep me through the night,
Within me, as I rest and pray.
For me, the heartbeat of God transforms everything in life. As a Companion of Brother Lawrence I try to practice the presence of God in everyday life as Brother Lawrence, the 15th century Carmelite lay worker in a monastery in France did. As you can imagine seeing God in all things doesn’t always work for an earthbound person like me. Sometimes though I do hear the heartbeat of God in the ordinary and when I do, I want to sing about it. I am delighted to say a few years ago God gave me a hymn that I revisit from time to time when I need to tune into God during the course of the day (music below).
Sometimes I hear the heartbeat of God in the beauty of creation, in the lovely countryside around me in Northumberland. At other times it comes to me through the love of my family, especially my grandchildren. I heard it loud and clear when I saw the photo of my 2nd granddaughter holding her baby sister.
Today you might like to think what kind of extraordinary ordinary things draw you into the heart of God and listen to the comfort of God’s heartbeat like the baby in the womb hears the heartbeat of its mother so that, whatever circumstances you find yourself in, you can face the day in tune with God.
by Christine Sine
I am getting ready for Easter. Lent is just the pathway of preparation. And I am not getting ready for Good Friday, which often seems to mesmerize us and demand our attention. I am getting ready for Easter Sunday and the celebration of new life, new creation and resurrection living.
As we get ready for Lent it is easy for us to forget why we observe this season of penitence and self examination. I wonder if we place too much emphasis on the cross and not enough on the kingdom. Jesus came to show us how to live – passionate for justice, caring for those at the margins, compassionate, loving and humble. The cross was the consequences of this way of life, but it was not the end, it was the beginning.
My symbol for Lent and Easter this year is the butterfly. and as preparation I have created my first ever origami creation. I excitedly placed it in my contemplative garden, lit my candles and immediately singed one of the wings. My first thought was Must make another! but then I remembered that the resurrected Christ bore the marks of crucifixion, the life of new creation is in some ways marred and made beautiful by the scars of death.
Waiting for resurrection
Butterfly resurrection begins with the death of the old caterpillar self and the embrace of a cocoon. I wonder if the old caterpillar resents the process just as we do. Or is it impatient for change.
The new birth must not be hurried, it looks painful but oh what magnificence emerges.
We enter Lent like caterpillars – unattractive, slow, vulnerable. This is a time for patience, for allowing the process for transformation to take place and preparing for the magnificence to come.
What is your response?
What types of transformation do you think God wants to accomplish in your life this year?
What is God giving birth to in you?
What Lenten practices would most encourage this new birth?
Why don’t you make your own origami butterfly. Think about resurrection and process of new birth Lent is preparing you for.It is very simple
All you need is:
A piece of 6×6″ colored paper: I used this one. Some in the pack are colored on both sides, some are white on the back which gives this beautiful 2 colored butterfly.
Liquid glue
String or yarn .
Watch this tutorial – it is very simple. Once you have made one you wil want to make lots more!
This version of The Lord’s Prayer was written by vintage blogger Andrew Jones way back in 2002. However I feel there is still a lot that makes it worth adding to our series for all of us to meditate on… not just if we are bloggers.
Our Father who lives above and beyond the dimension of the internet,
Give us this day a life worth blogging,
The access to words and images that express our journey with passion and integrity,
And a secure connection to publish your daily mercies.
Your Kingdom come into new spaces today,
As we make known your mysteries,
Posting by posting,
Blog by blog.
Give this day,
The same ability to those less privileged,
Whose lives speak louder than ours,
Whose sacrifice is greater,
Whose stories will last longer.
Forgive us our sins,For blog-rolling strangers and pretending they are friends,
For counting unique visitors but not noticing unique people,
For delighting in the thousands of hits but ignoring the ONE who returns,
For luring viewers but sending them away empty handed,
For updating daily but repenting weekly.
As we forgive those who trespass on our sites to appropriate our thoughts without reference,
Our images without approval,
Our ideas without linking back to us.
Lead us not into the temptation to sell out our congregation,
To see people as links and not as lives,
To make our blogs look better than our actual story.
But deliver us from the evil of pimping ourselves instead of pointing to you,
From turning our guests into consumers of someone else’s products,
From infatuation over the toys of technology,
From idolatry over technology
From fame before our time has come.
For Yours is the power to guide the destinies behind the web logs,
To bring hurting people into the sanctuaries of our sites,
To give us the stickiness to follow you, no matter who is watching or reading.
Yours is the glory that makes people second look our sites and our lives,
Yours is the heavy ambience,
For ever and ever,
Amen
By Lilly Lewin
I’m on my annual silent retreat this week at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. It’s the monastery of Thomas Merton and Father Matthew Kelty and the place that has taught me the value of silence in my busy life. It’s also the place I first discovered Father Edward Hays and his Lenten Hobo Honeymoon, that is still in the guest library I am happy to say! And since it’s Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d add to a post from last year about falling in love with Jesus for Lent this year.
It was Father Hays who introduced me to the concept of using the 40 days of Lent to fall more in love with Jesus rather than the sack cloth and ashes stereotype or tradition of Lent. It was also Father Hays who said that giving up chocolate for Lent never helped anyone get closer to Jesus, it just made them grumpy and angry…so he’s my kind of guy!
So in honor of Valentines, and since the season of Lent is fast approaching (Ash Wednesday is February 26), what if we choose to spend the 40 days of Lent falling more in love with Jesus? What would that look like?
When we fall in love with someone we often get a little crazy and we do things to show just how much we love the other person. My first real boy friend was in 8th grade. I went to an all girls school in town and he went to the all boys school. We met at church and were in youth group together. I was smitten! And since I am an artist, I expressed my love for him with a hand crafted Valentine. I took a piece of cardboard and collaged it with words and phrases and pictures cut out of magazines glued on to a piece of card board. I even used my mom’s “pinking shears” to cut out the heart and give it a special edging. And since i was too young to drive, I had to get my dad to drive me across town to the boy’s house to give him this created treasure! I’m not sure he really appreciated the time and effort but for me it was an act of love to create something special. My husband expresses his love to me through amazing meals and fun cards. I have friends who write songs for one another. I know friends who go on hikes together and even take retreats to plan together and reflect on their lives. There are just as many ways to express love to someone as there are people!
Consider how you express love and how you experience love yourself. How have you shown someone you loved them in the past? How do you show some one you love them now? How do you show love to your friends? Your family? Your co workers or teammates? How do you like to experience love? Is it through Time, Gifts, Conversation, Creativity? Something else? Take some time to think about this and make a list.
Years ago, I created a sacred space prayer experience based off Father Ed Hay’s book The Lenten Hobo Honeymoon. Father Hays and I are kindred spirits when it comes to experiencing God and practicing our faith in touchable, tangible, symbolic ways. This book is still my all time favorite Lenten devotional. After hosting this Sacred Space for my church and youth group, I was invited to do something at the near by convent. Since it was still Lent, I didn’t create anything new, I just set up the same Sacred Space and sent nuns on a honeymoon with Jesus!
What if we saw Lent as a honeymoon with Jesus? How could this help you focus your time and Lenten practices? What would a honeymoon with Jesus look like for you? Where would you go? What would you do? How would you spend time together and get to know each other better?
Like in any relationship, you have to start small. Usually you date awhile before you get married and go on a honeymoon. So since we have a couple of weeks before the beginning of Lent, let’s start! What will your date with Jesus look like? I’d love to hear about it! Mine definitely will involve chocolate!
Plan a date with Jesus. What do you do? Do you go out for a walk? Do you get out in nature? Do you go out and have coffee and take your journal? Could you find some old magazines and create a collage Valentine with words and phrases and pictures expressing your love to Jesus? or cook dinner for someone who is lonely? Bake some cookies for the neighbors or take flowers to friend who is sick?
Think about Being a Bride. What about being the Bride of Christ…what does that mean to you? Consider how much love Jesus has for you just as you are! Consider all the things brides do these days to plan a wedding. Planning, prepping, pinning on Pinterest! Do we put that much effort into our relationship with Jesus? Can we plan and be more intentional in how we fall more in love with Him between now and Easter? 
What if we planned to focus on how much Jesus loves us this Lent? What things would you add into your daily life to help you remember and receive that love? Maybe eating a chocolate heart or a hershey kiss as a reminder. Or posting a Valentine on your mirror to remind you that you are greatly loved by Jesus. Or carrying a heart around in your pocket as a tangible reminder of His love for you! What would be the reminder that you need? 
Maybe you could set the alarm on your phone at 2:14pm each day to remind you that you are greatly loved by Jesus! or find special candle to light daily to help you remember. Or listen to a favorite song that will keep you close to Jesus and help you know that you are held in his great love! Listen to one of my favorites here ” I am Held” by Pat Barrett
We have entire season between now and Easter for experience more love and fall more in love with Jesus. Let’s give up hate, and blame, and self criticism this year and add Love instead!
And if you’d like a resource to help you practice love this Lenten Season, or any season for that matter, check out the 40 Days of Love prayer kit that is for individual use or the one for small groups, youth groups and entire church communities. It’s a kit that involves praying with prayer hearts daily and practicing love in your neighborhood.
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
By Cathy Lawton —
One night I was very ill and out of nowhere, it seemed, the vision of this poem came to me. I thought of the woman in Luke 7 who anointed Jesus’ feet. And it just came to me like never before that, in Jesus, God was physically present in our world and to people. I like this story because of the physicality of it. Christ is in us and Christ is in all.
When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[a] and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
By Joy Lenton —
A profound sense of the ineffable runs through our veins but we might mistake it for murmurs from another place. Perhaps we hear instead the pulse of impulse, the throb of desire, the heat of our own emotions racing fast. It could be coupled with a sudden, burning brevity of insight that dissipates like mist before returning again.
Each small flare of recognition and recollection stirs our remembrance of sacred echoes even if they are barely discernible sometimes. Maybe we can learn to distinguish between these holy echoes and the clamour of our soul’s noise?
A holy heartbeat
You are here, present within
but I fail to hear you sometimes,
so caught up am I
in the daily grind.
And yet you remain, still
gently breathing out your love,
sighing out your grace,
whispering an invitation
to every one of us.
Come, come, my child, you call,
come sit with me
and rest awhile
and practice listening
for my gentle voice.
Come lean yourself, your cares,
your weary, troubled head
against my breast
and hear
my holy heartbeat.
It pounds continually,
steadily throughout
the years,
throughout eternity itself,
it never disappears.
As you abide close to me
you will receive
heavenly joy and peace,
and be given space
for your soul to breathe.
Perhaps, if we look closely enough, we might observe the essence of holy heartbeats in practice. It threads through our days in creation’s worshipful beauty, or in relationships, because that’s primarily how God manifests Himself to us. We hear the very heartbeat of God Himself within our souls as Holy Spirit influences and inspires how we live and love.
And as we get to grips with the messy and thorny issues of loving and living well, they present themselves to us as fresh opportunities for humility and hope, compassion, forgiveness, goodness and grace. But it all begins with seeking to develop a greater awareness of sacred echoes in our minds, hearts and lives, and being responsive to God’s voice.
“There is no part of our existence which [God] cannot touch. There is no place in our varied experience where He cannot meet us. His humanity is as broad as ours…. This is the secret of all-sufficiency —the friendship of Jesus, the indwelling life of Christ, our union heart to heart with One who, as no other friend could possibly do, lives out His very life in ours.” — Tozer on the Holy Spirit: A 365-Day Devotional by A. W. Tozer
By Carol Dixon —
God in the heart of a snowdrop
Sometimes my faith is fragile, God,
as frail as a snowdrop.
Help me to be so earthed in you
that I can stand firm,
weathering the winter of the soul,
nodding defiance in the storms of life,
bending with the winds of change,
not breaking, bowing my head
in reverence to you, my loving God,
who causes me to dance for joy
and, in companionship with others,
give glory to you.
I wrote it one January on the anniversary of the death of my mother (who died 44 years ago this year) when my faith in God, who I had believed in from childhood, was shaken to the roots. Despite having a beautiful 6-month-old daughter, I felt desolate and bereft, even of God. Then one day, I saw a tiny snowdrop rising up from the darkness of the frozen earth, defying the bitter cold of winter and I felt the tiny stirrings of faith again rising in my frigid heart, beginning to melt my unbelief through the broken heart of God, who gave his life so that death would never defeat love.
I wrote the prayer years afterwards but the feelings that stirred all those years before remained with me, warming my heart in times of adversity, much as the Easter hymn ‘Now the green blade rises’ reminds us of God’s unfailing love (verse 4).
‘When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
Your touch can call us back to life again,
Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been,
Love is come again like wheat that springs up green.’ (J.M.C. Crum)
Today, the snowdrops started blooming in our garden and I thought of my prayer again and of God’s wonderful love at the heart of all things.
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