Category: Spiritual
-
Isaiah 61 – garment of praise
I stayed with this beautiful text. And at first I heard nothing. I felt nothing. After reading it every day, for a few days, I woke up at night and I could finally articulate my thoughts. Here are my reflections. Thanks to the rabbi for making me sit with the text. My hardened heart and hardened…
-
I tune in
I listen to my home church from California, Peninsula Bible Church Cupertino. And I am inspired to come into the light. My mind clears just as I see my mentors and pastors who lead with passion despite the comfort of their life. And they’ve been doing it since they were my age. Brian came to…
-
Where are you?
It’s the question God asks of Adam and Eve before things went south. It’s a rhetorical question. Because God knows everything. What did you do? I asked Jackie what happened. She stared at me, unmovable. I know her stoicism. I didn’t even get upset deep down. Nor disappointed. So I told her the story of…
-
Allow for miracles
I like control. I’m a good planner and I reap the benefits. I had to learn to pull back and let others give it a go, take responsibility, distribute the work. I am living on a prayer. And Keep busy. One lesson I learned and practiced as a teenager, when I was so anxious about…
-
He quickly responds
Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply. Isaiah 58 Half asleep, I hear my daughter call me every night.In her sleep she cries out:“Mommy!”“Yes, ivy? I’m here!” Then… silence. She wakes me up As if to check.She always insists.And I respond. Begrudgingly of late.When will this…
-
Widen your tent
Widen your tent to make room for the orphan. We’ve been thinking and praying for a house for a few years. The dream felt extravagant. I am grateful for my small comfortable home. But as we adopted ivy, the possibility of another biological child showing up in the system, made us realize that we would…
-
Working the land
At the beginning of this year we bought an orchard. I signed the papers on the last day before the lockdown started. Those two months of cleaning dry shrubbery and tending to the garden were a heavenly gift. I would have paid someone to let me work outside. The money we invested seemed like a…
-
The Word and a Home
Turning to the WordI regain perspectiveAlmost instantlyA thirsty landIn an endless droughtDrinking up the TruthI only ought to open The pages Come and drink fresh waters A word stuck with meThat a sculptor gifted us with“Seek first the kingdom of GodAnd His righteousnessAnd everything else shall be given to you” Our father is generousAnd no…
-
Fellowship online
The despair of dullness Brought to the surfaceAs we face our present state of mind, of life We are still aching from the pervasive distancing Not knowing when it would end The virus is closing in On our closest community Dangerously fear and uncertainty are suffocating The soul dullness dissipates Cleared with a gentle breath,Blown into the murky watersAnd we watch The mesmerizing ripples…
-
A parent
The girls cling onto meBecause I correct themBecause I comfort them Because I don’t shy away from difficult situations The moment daddy stepped in to correct and serve their needs,I saw their respect and affection grow for him. Instantly. I don’t seek their dependency Or adoration I am a speaker of truth and I am more concerned with…
-
Warmth
I wonder about how this season of pandemic is traumatizing our kids, who already have a history of trauma. Then I see the irony. Because I feel increasingly traumatized as a parent. I am tired of nagging. I have always made a conscious effort not not nag. But as I repeat the same encouragement or…
-
Weekend away for Jackie’s birthday
Conrad was getting over a cold/ allergic reaction to campfire smoke. We were on edge and making wise calculated decisions seemed harder and harder to accomplish. Our empathizing with each other’s exhaustion only made things worse. We started dragging each other down. Like a derailing train we were. Nothing too unusual on the outside, but…