Listening for Soothing Rain in Life’s Deserts • Oasis of Hope
Just as the rains of April bring flowers in May, Easter Resurrection reminds us to listen for the soothing rain of our new life in Jesus.
Suffering & Joy Posts
Back to Blind • Finding Spiritual Sight in a Sea of Darkness
After a long day with an aching eye, going from a walk in clinic to the emergency room to the specialist’s office, I felt my heart sink and sighed, resigning to the reality I had feared. I was back to blind.
Rejoicing in God and His Gift of Joy
First, joy takes time. Joy is not fast food. It comes, I would say, as a by-product of living a savored life, of having time and taking time to “smell the flowers,” as we used to say. There is this old monastic insight about living a joy-filled life. Take time, take at least some time each day, to do one thing at-a-time.
Ready for Spring: Learning to Release What Was to Embrace What Is
Somewhere along this rocky, twisting, unwanted adventure of chronic illness comes a place of wrestling with God, with self, with letting go. But it’s OK. Because spring is almost here, hope watered in tears, ready to push through the grief, and burst into light.
Greater Joy • Invitation to Prayer
Finally, my journey led me to joy. To taste joy in the midst of what previously drove me to survival mode came through seeking beauty in small moments. These moments are the gifts right before my eyes, but they are also the ones I can easily miss. And they lead to greater joy.
