by Cathy Baker | Book Reviews, Faith, Seasonal |
“Lent isn’t about forfeiting as much as it’s about formation.” -Ann Voskamp
For those of you who, like me, didn’t grow up celebrating Lent there is much to learn, and much to celebrate. Jesus Christ’s 40 days of fasting in the desert are the spiritual foundation for the season that begins on Ash Wednesday.
Thomas Merton wrote, “Lent is not just a time for squaring conscious accounts: but for realizing what we had perhaps not seen before.”
Lent officially began February 10th, but we know it’s never too late to worship, or to discover new ways to worshipping, even if we didn’t grow up celebrating the Lenten season.
Below are three resources I LOVE and have used. I hope you’ll share yours in the comment section!
{A Free 40 Day Lent Devotional Journey, Ann Voskamp}
{Tim Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church}
Topical Daily Lent Readings
I’m using Ann Voskamp’s free 40 Day Lent Devotional this year. I wish I’d started on the 10th, but I didn’t, so I will begin where I am.
Here are some quotes on Lent to consider during this season, and every day:
“The goal of fasting is inner unity. This means hearing, but not with the ear; hearing, but not with the understanding; it is hearing with the spirit, with your whole being.” Fr. Thomas Merton
“Lord, have mercy on me! … I make no effort to conceal my wounds. You are my physician, I your patient. You are merciful; I stand in need of mercy.” St. Augustine
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23
Do you have a go-to resource for the Lenten season, or what is one way you choose to prepare your heart for Easter?
by Cathy Baker | Photography/Blogging |
Poetry by Mary Oliver + Photography + Snow = Love.
Okay, not the real kind, but it is a type of joy that causes me to look upwards and thank God for the little things in life.
When snow fell ever so lightly a couple weeks ago I grabbed my camera and headed outdoors to savor my favorite weather event.
{Camera + snow = loving!}
Without a doubt, Mary Oliver is my favorite contemporary poet. Her love of nature is evident in most everything she writes. The fluidity of her words smooths even the most ruffled of feathers.
First Snow
The snow
began here
this morning and all day
continued, its white
rhetoric everywhere
calling us back to why, how,
whence such beauty and what
the meaning; such
an oracular fever! flowing
past windows, an energy it seemed
would never ebb, never settle
less than lovely! and only now,
deep into night,
it has finally ended.
The silence
is immense,
and the heavens still hold
a million candles, nowhere
the familiar things:
stars, the moon,
the darkness we expect
and nightly turn from. Trees
glitter like castles
of ribbons, the broad fields
smolder with light, a passing
creek bed lies
heaped with shining hills;
and though the questions
that have assailed us all day
remain — not a single
answer has been found –
walking out now
into the silence and the light
under the trees,
and through the fields,
feels like one.
–Mary Oliver ©
Wouldn’t you agree that it’s often the simple things in life that brings us tidbits of joy throughout our days? What’s one simple thing you’re thankful for today?
by Cathy Baker | Faith, Ideas, Seasonal |
by Cathy Baker @cathysbaker
I’ve been thinking a lot about Hagar lately.
Remember in Genesis 16 when she fled from Sarai? She felt abandoned and probably forgotten by God. She must have felt as if no one saw her, or cared about her, or the baby she was carrying.
This Valentine’s Day, many of you will find your love life to be much like a box of chocolates⎯satisfying, sweet, ooey-gooey on the inside…all yours to enjoy.
For others, it might instead be a day of remembering what was lost, or what could have been. It could be a day when you relate more to Hagar than you ever thought possible.
I remember reading the story of Hagar (Genesis 16) in my early 30’s as a relatively new believer. I wept when I read verse 13. It had only been a handful of years since I was a single mom struggling with similar emotions. But God {game changer} rescued me, and as a result, I could say for the first time, as did Hagar, I have now seen the One who sees me.
It’s because of those single days that my heart goes out to you who may not hear your name called when flowers are delivered to your workplace, or handed your very own box of chocolates to enjoy.
This year, while strolling {okay, stalking} the $1.00 aisle at Target, glass jars with sparkly hearts spoke to me. I didn’t exactly know what I would do with them, but that didn’t stop me from buying several.
After a little thought and prayer, I decided to make a jar filled with seven slips of paper, each with a different promise from God. Seven, because it’s the biblical number for completion. In Christ, we find our completeness⎯not in another person, our children, our homes or anything else. His promises from the Word are active and alive, able to lift the heaviest of hearts.
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| A Gift of God’s Promises |
{This is the jar I found at Target but you can use any container.}
{At first I felt a little guilty for not handwriting the promises but then I was reminded that it’s not my hand that holds the power, but His. Click here for a printable copy of the seven promises I’m using.}
{I also found these tags in the $1.00 bin at Target.}
{On each tag, I’ll write a brief note describing why seven promises were chosen. I’ll also share how much they are loved, especially by their heavenly Father.}
And the best, most precious gift we can to give anyone is prayer. As I head to their home or to the post office to deliver the gifts, I will pray for each of them by name.
She [Hagar] gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16:13
Has God placed a Hagar in your life? We have a week to consider how we can love others, single or not, around us this Valentines Day.
What is one of God’s promises that you would include in the above gift? Please share!
If you missed Saturday’s post, Edie Melson: A Glimpse Into Her Quiet Time, click here to read it. Be blessed!
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Welcome to the first Saturday of the month! Today, Edie Melson invites us to sit alongside her to simply catch a glimpse of how her one-on-one time with the Lord often unfolds.
To say that Edie has impacted my life is an understatement. She teaches me something about the craft of writing everyday via her blog, meets with me over grits to catch up on life, and most importantly, models what a true prayer warrior wears.
Please remember, I share these glimpses not to say that a quiet time should look a particular way, but rather the opposite. My heart is to invite you into the freedom that awaits when we meet with our heavenly Father {thank You, Jesus!} in a variety of ways.
So, welcome Edie!
by Cathy Baker | Gatherings, Ideas |
When I think of biblical community done well, the Rhodes family immediately comes to mind.
I had the pleasure of getting to know them through a former church, and I’ve enjoyed staying updated with the many adventures God has taken them on over the years. I marvel at the openness of their hearts, hands, and homes.
Today, I’ve asked Kim Rhodes to share about some of the things they’ve done to extend the love of Christ on Valentine’s Day. {Thank you, Kim!}
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| The Rhodes Family |
“We have been a part of many neighborhoods over the past 18 years of married life and with each place we have tried to get to know those that live around us. It always shocks me to find out that people living just a few doors down have never taken the time to meet or engage with each other.
“Sometimes the greatest influence you can have is to the lives of those that live in closest proximity to you.”
We value the unique advantage and connection we have with people that live specifically on our street or around us. One of my personal core values is “Open Home”⎯that everything we have is a missional tool that needs to be used. And so we truly believe in the power of an open home, always making space to invite people in through our front doors, not into our perfect life but into our messy, lived, and present life.
I remember at one dessert gathering we had after we moved into one of our new neighborhoods…two families engaged in conversation. Each of them had lived on the same street a few houses down for over 9 years and had never met each other. They engaged for the first time in our home.
Just recently we moved to a new city and state. And as I met our neighbor living next door, she was sharing about the families that surrounded us. She wasn’t quite sure of who lived in the house behind her because of the 15 years they had lived in their home they had never had a conversation with them. And this is not abnormal. This is shockingly normal for most streets and neighborhoods across the country. Somehow we have lost the value of opening up our homes, as well as our lives, to those around us.
One of the ways our family tries to engage our neighbors is to use holidays as times to go knock on their doors. We normally give them a gift or treat and then it’s always attached to a future invite of something happening in our home. We have found this to be something very low pressure. It allows us to engage others through an offering of a gift, and an invitation to a future time of connection. It’s that simple. There is no pressure. The worst scenario is we are able to say hello and offer a gift. The best scenario is that we get the opportunity to invite them into our home and they actually show up!
The past few Valentines Days we have used different gifts. We’ll be hitting up our new neighbors this Valentines Day with a single rose and and invite to a coffee and cobbler night at our home at a specific date in March. We’ve used Valentines day to give candy and invite people over to our “Jolly” Rancher and we’ve used Valentines Day to offer a single rose to our neighbors and just let them know they are “Loved” and that we would “Love” to have them over for dessert sometime soon.
Whether you live in an apartment or a large castle, everyone has the opportunity to open up their home and lives. My husband and I are both introverts and we’ve found it very easy to gather large groups of people engaged in conversation with little or no effort. We have found our biggest gift is giving space for those that come into our home to be able to find each other in their own stories and build a connection. In some ways our open home is a place of connection for people. And the connection and stories and life engagement that comes from those times are always beautiful and abundant.”
Thank you so much for sharing, Kim. Both you and Dave have impacted our lives and countless others. You’ve definitely inspired this introvert!
If you’ve been encouraged to think outside the box for the sake of the gospel, I’d LOVE for you to share about it in the comment section. 🙂 Thanks!
Coming up this Saturday, Edie Melson will give us a glimpse into her one-on-one time with the Lord. And on Monday, I’ll share a simple but meaningful way to show L-O-V-E to the singles in your life on Valentine’s Day!
