Traveling Thoughts

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." -John 13:34 This was it; this was the last time that all the disciples would be together with Jesus before he was killed. After three years spent together in the trenches of ministry: serving, healing, teaching, feeding, etc. it led them all to this last evening together around a table celebrating the Passover Meal. The first disciples probably thought they learned everything they could from Jesus, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.  “Maundy” is derived from the Latin word for command. On Maundy Thursday, the Thursday of Holy Week, Jesus did many new things: 1.       He began the Passover meal by washing the feet of each of his disciples, which symbolized a service of friendship and a mutual sharing of gifts. In the foot washing, Jesus challenges his disciples to do the same for each other, and to see that they are all equal in the K...

The countdown is on – there are only a few more hours left before the end of the year! Once again, in the last few hours and minutes of the year, I find myself processing what has taken place and looking toward the future with a spirit of hope. This end of year reflection on the power of words is something that I’ve found to be a helpful and meaningful practice.  One of the quotes that I’ve found meaningful when moving into a new season, year, etc. and not wanting to take the baggage that is the past is this "Yearning for a new way will not produce it. Only ending the old way can do that. You cannot hold onto the old, all the while declaring that you want something new. The old will defy the new; The old will deny the new; The old will decry the new. There is only one way to bring in the new. You must make room for it." -Neal Donald Walsch  2018 – Celebrate In thinking through the word I would select for 2018, I was inspired by Colony House’s “Mo...

Words carry unbelievable power. Words have the unique ability to help, to bring joy, to encourage, to destroy, to cause pain, to shame, or to humble. Our words matter. This not only applies to the words we speak to others, but what we say to ourselves. I strongly believe that we can be our own worst critic and say things to ourselves that we would NEVER dream to say (or think about) to other people.   Knowing my tendency to listen to my inner critic and leaning into the idea of living a purposeful and meaningful life, ( check out the first part of the blog here ) I decided at the end of 2013 to select a POSITIVE word to live into in the coming year. That started a chain reaction of going year to year over the last 5 years as a way live a meaningful story and a practice I plan to continue.  My inspiration in sharing these past words and the word for 2019, comes from a graphic artist friend, Adam Cassidy . Adam created a logo for the Kettering  Before...

As each year comes to a close and we anticipate what is in store for the new year, I have found this period of "in-between" to be a sacred time of reflection.  Looking back to the end of 2013, I was ready to move on and for the year to be over (anyone else experience this some years?). It was a year of tragedy, loss, and grief with the passing of two people I deeply love only weeks apart. I spent the rest of the year reeling trying to make sense of it. For the first time, I grasped how finite life is and felt a deep drive to live my story in a meaningful way. One of the reflections I wrote down during this period was,  “Living an intentional life with purpose and direction isn’t something we naturally do. That part takes practice, commitment, and discipline.”  At the end of 2013, I wasn’t happy with what word I would use to describe my year. While thinking about this, I decided I wanted to start tangibly living out the quote above by choosing a word or ph...

A friend asked me today how I was feeling. The truth was, I was feeling AND thinking a lot, which is par for the course. However, I have always found myself being much more introspective at the end of the year. I have a feeling I’m not alone. As the year comes to a close and we anticipate the coming year, there is so much to reflect on. I’m not a regular “journaler” – but over the last 10+ years I’ve found myself writing down reflections at the end of the year. It’s amazing to look back at journal entries isn’t it? To see how we spent so much time worrying about something and to see how it all worked itself out. Or how things seemed to unfold in new and unexpected ways, often for the best even if we found ourselves unsure initially. Looking back on what I wrote for the end of 2013, I was ready to move on and for the year to be over. It was a year of tragedy, loss, and grief with the passing of two people only weeks apart. I spent the rest of the year reeling t...