One of my favorite foods growing up was my mother’s blackberry jelly. Ironically, gathering the berries is one of my least favorite memories from growing up. When we’d wake up and walk to the kitchen for breakfast those summer mornings and see the berry baskets on the table, we’d cringe. We knew it meant we were going berry picking, sludging through the brambles and weeds, dodging the thorns on the bushes, on the lookout for snakes and other critters, swatting bugs and wiping

LECTIO - Read Scripture Text: Luke 11:27-28 And it came to pass that as Jesus was speaking, a certain woman from those gathered lifted her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” MEDITATIO - Meditate on text, allow the LORD to touch us with His Word: How well am I living and keeping the word of God? BREAKING OPEN THE TEXT: Jesus’ response t

Before retirement, TGIF meant that I’d reached the final day of classes or of work and was able to take a couple days “off.” After retirement, TGIF sort of lost its luster. Afterall, once I retired, every day was like the weekend. I didn’t need to be anywhere at a specific time. And the lack of demands became noticeable. Without those demands, with all that free time, I realized I was not being very productive. In fact, looking at myself, I had to admit I made a rock look bus

LECTIO - Read Scripture Text: Matthew 19:3-12 Pharisees came to Jesus, seeking to test him, and said to him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that in the beginning, He made them male and female and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and they shall be one flesh’? Therefore, they are no longer two, but one flesh. What God has joined together, le

I was checking out at the local grocery store. I watched the young man bagging my groceries and noticed the care he was taking. He was careful with the bread, put the loaves together in a bag and then put that bag in the cart. That bread wasn’t going to get crushed by moving cans or shifting jars. He double bagged the ½ gallon creamer and the ½ gallon almond milk and put that bag in the cart. I watched as he kept bagging and carefully placing the bags in the cart. Then he put

LECTIO - Read Scripture Text: 1 Peter 4:12-19 (optional memorial of Saints Pontian) Beloved, do not think it strange that a trial by fire is happening among you as if something strange were happening to you. But rejoice because you are partaking in Christ’s sufferings so that when His glory will be revealed, you will rejoice exceedingly. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the spirit of glory and of God rest upon you. On their part, he is revi

We all have favorite biblical texts that speak to us. Mine is John 13. As I sat to write the blog for today, I looked up and there it was, my favorite image of my favorite text – The Foot Washing.” It calls me to servanthood. John 13 begins with Jesus’ awareness of the betrayal of one of his own disciples, then it shows us Jesus, the servant, washing the feet of his disciples. It ends with “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also sho

LECTIO - Read Scripture Text: Matthe 18:15-20 (Jesus said to his disciples,) “If your brother trespasses against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he will not hear you, take one or two more along with you so that every fact may be established on the word of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a publican. Truly, I say

It was my fault. I told my husband that I’d put a batch of banana bread in the oven. And he started circling and asking that age old question, “When is it done?” When my timer went off, I took the pan full of aromatic banana bread out of the oven. Knowing that my husband could hear a pan rattle from three rooms away and that he’d be all over that baked goody like white on rice, I warned him, “Let it rest!” My husband didn’t understand the “Let it rest” principle when we fir

LECTIO - Read Scripture Text: Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 The disciples drew near to Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” Jesus called to himself a child, placed him in their midst, and said, “Truly, I tell you, unless you be converted and become as little children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child as this in my name receive

I went to help. I knew she was overwhelmed. She admitted it almost immediately after I arrived. I assured her it was going to be all right. Then we started with the sink. If the kitchen was going to be functional again, we needed the sink. We cleared it, filled it with soapy water, and started clearing the counters, washing and drying the dishes and putting them away as we went. Within the hour, we had the dishes cleared, cleaned and back in the cupboards. Then we tackled the

LECTIO - Read Scripture Text: John 12:24-26 Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a kernel of wheat. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. Whoever loves his life shall lose it, and whoever hates his life in this world shall keep it for eternal life. Anyone who serves me must follow me, and where I am, there, too, will my servant be. Anyone who serves me, my Father will honor.” M

Yesterday, as I walked around the wedding shower for my grandson and his fiancé, I introduced myself to those I didn’t know yet. I figured we’d all be family, in a way, soon. When I introduced myself to Betty, my grandson’s fiancé’s grandmother, she commented on my necklace almost immediately. I clutched it with a smile and explained it was a gift from my husband that I’ve worn every day since he gave it to me on our 25th wedding anniversary. Later, as I pondered the day a

LECTIO - Read Scripture Text: 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a At Horeb, the mountain of God, Elijah came to a cave and took shelter. Then the LORD told him, “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD for the LORD will be passing by.” A fierce and heavy wind ripping at the mountains and breaking the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake. But the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire, b

It’s August, and I couldn’t stop myself from remembering August family trips. You remember them, hitting the road before summer ended to visit someplace special or someone special. And the question that started shortly after we hit the road was always, “Are we there yet?” I love the word “yet” because in my world it has always indicated hope. Something good is coming. As I got older, I learned that yet didn’t just happen on road trips, it happened in my life when I realized

LECTIO - Read Scripture Text: Matthew 17: 14-20 A man approached Jesus, knelt down before him, and said, “Lord, have pity on my son who is a lunatic suffering severely. Frequently he falls into fire and often into water. I brought him to your disciples, but could not heal him” Jesus said in reply, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him. From tha

I had a phone conversation with someone and the frustration on both ends was so intense it was almost tangible. And then I heard the click and silence. I said the person’s name three or four times. No response. I waited five minutes. Then I texted the person with the details we’d agreed upon last week but also saying that if they needed to change it, I understood. Then I waited five more minutes, and I called the person back. I was relieved to hear “Hello.” We talked for

LECTIO - Read Scripture Text: Matthew 16:24-28 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever will save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? Or what can one give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then h

This week, my cell phone went wonky. The sound was muffled and the noise that came out was indecipherable. I couldn’t understand phone conversations and my alerts were unrecognizable. I went to AI and asked for a diagnosis. They recommended a toothbrush cleaning of the speaker. My phone ended up with a shiny bottom but still not sound. So, I was off to the carrier. The store wasn’t busy when I arrived, and Mika was eager to help. He tried everything he could that he’d been

LECTIO - Read Scripture Text: 2 Peter 1:16-19 We have not followed cunningly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we have been eyewitnesses of this majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the majestic glory, “This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice came from heaven while we with him on the holy mount. Moreover, we posse