I used to love watching shows about pioneers.  I thought the whole covered wagon, cornbread baking, sod busting thing was great.  I sometimes daydreamed about being a pioneer woman and thought about the excitement of such a new adventure.  I also thought the long skirts would be a great idea to cover up my pudgy legs.  Then I became a wife and mother and realized how hard things can be even in this modern world with machines and apps for everything, so I figured the whole pioneer woman gig was out of the question.  Or was it?
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Now, one thing is for sure, I will never travel the frontier in a covered wagon, nor will I likely ever bust sod and use it for a roof but the whole new adventure thing might not be such a bad idea. I got to thinking one day that maybe being a pioneer could mean something different than the prairie.  Fr. Pierre de Chardin once wrote, “We are called to be pioneers; pioneers who stand on the edge of great beginnings, of unseen futures.  Pioneers filled with unwarranted confidence that visions give.”  Maybe I could be that kind of pioneer; I don’t think it comes with a long skirt and wide brimmed hat, but the new adventure part is the same.

I think the key word in Fr. Pierre’s quote was vision.  I can set goals or make resolutions; I can even pick a word for the year but to have a vision is something big.  I think our desire to be logical and systematic makes it difficult to be a pioneer.  When you really think about it, pioneers set off on adventures that didn’t seem safe, logical or systematic at all.  They really had to trust.  Some of the best things in life happen with that kind of start.  Look at Mary and Elizabeth…neither of them was the common candidate for motherhood.  Elizabeth was too old, and Mary was too young and not even married yet but they trusted, followed and radically changed the world. If we wait until everything is in order to make a new beginning, we’ll likely never get started on the journey.
What is your vision?  What do you see within yourself that could use a new beginning?  Be a pioneer and set out to find that new place or thing.  Be a pioneer for peace, patience, mercy or trust.  Blaze a trail so bold others can’t help but follow!  Can you make a plan to bring the hopeful newness of life to your heart, your home, workplace or community?  Great things have to start somewhere…go ahead…YOU be the pioneer!  What new beginning are you going to pioneer?  Think big…think mighty…think Godly but mostly think about the needs of others and the mercy of God.  If you need someone to join your wagon train just let me know!

A Seed To Plant:  Dear Lord, give me the strength to bust out of my comfortable-ness and be a pioneer of something really important to you.​

Blessings on your day!

As much as I might want to grumble about technology from time to time, I marvel at the way I can find inspiration and information almost instantly.  Not long ago a lady asked me, exactly how to get closer to Christ, and I offered some thoughts, but I spent the next many days pondering that question and hoping I answered it in a helpful way.  I decided to prepare a better answer because it was such a good question.  As I was thinking and praying about it, thanks to technology, I stumbled across a homily on YouTube offered by a priest whose name I can’t even remember, giving a homily about this exact question.  He was referencing something written by C.S. Lewis that offered 7 things to quit to grow in Christ and I was intrigued by the idea of quitting something rather than starting something and found it all too good not to share.
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Number one:  Quit all the things that don’t bear positive fruit and that add zero value to life. Quit the things that don’t feed your spirit and that suck your strength. 
Number two: Quit hanging out with people who bring you down.  Choose to spend time with people who will challenge you and walk with you as you strive to be better, holier and more focused on the Lord.
Number three:  Quit judging and criticizing other people and things.  Not everything happens when and how you want it but if God is your focus the noise of the world and the actions of others become less and less important.
Number four:  Quit magnifying what’s going wrong in the world. You can choose to magnify problems or magnify God…choose wisely.
Number five:  Quit overdoing it…even the good stuff.  Still, simple, quiet and humble are the focus points for keeping your balance.
Number six:  Quit trying to please people.  If your focus and energy are all wrapped up in trying to win the approval of the world, that takes the first spot in your life.  Work on pleasing God and quit making pleasing people your mission.
Number seven:  Quit overthinking everything.  Trust him…give things to him and know he has more knowledge, wisdom, power and love than we can fathom, and he works for our good using people, graces and circumstances we couldn’t possibly know about…let God do his job.

Isn’t it a huge relief to know he’s not asking us to buy more books, do more stuff, create or begin giant things to grow closer.  These seven things to quit are crystal clear and require no extra things…simply re-ordering our days with a clear focus.

A Seed To Plant:  Pray with the list for a few days and see which ones the Lord might really be calling you to focus on and ask him to show you how to start quitting.

Blessings on your day!

We are about halfway through the first month of the new year and I hope it’s been a happy beginning.  I picked up an old practice this January and prayed for a “word” for the year.  I hadn’t done it for a few years and thought it might be fun to see what the Lord put on my heart.  The word that stuck like glue was CONTENT.  I’ve had a couple weeks to settle in with the word and I find it brings me lots of peace.  I have come across a few things lately that seem to confirm the peace and joy that comes with being content.  It is my hope that this might be a word the Lord whispers to you too.

*Lord…am I doing my faith right, am I holy enough or a good enough disciple?  The reply came in these words:  What you love, you spend time with and what you spend time with becomes what you love most.  It’s not about a list of tasks or hoops to jump through to please him…it’s about spending time in prayer, in his word and in constant conversation with him asking for guidance and grace and that is enough.

*What are my priorities?  Is Jesus like my second kidney?  It’s nice to have and I value it greatly, but do I really need it?  Lord, help me make you my priority and be content with the fact that I need to be quiet and still and everything else will follow according to your plan. 

*Jesus…do I live like you are an accessory or a necessity?  In my contentment help me claim and cling to you like the air I breathe.

*Lord draw me so close to you I become lost in your shadow.  Help me be content to walk in your shadow instead of being seen and praised by the world.

*Humbly be where he puts you and know you’re there for a reason even if it’s a place of struggle.  Contentment creates humility.  At the Last Supper Jesus ministered with tenderness and peace.  If I were hours from death, would I be washing feet or expecting to be pampered?  Would I have been comforting and loving others or expecting them to do that for me?  Lord, help me be still and content so I can participate in whatever you’re doing.

Lord help me be content with the things I have instead of wanting more.  Help me be content with where I am instead of trying to get somewhere better.  Help me be content with the blessings and shadows dotting my life instead of wanting to trade for someone else’s life that looks easier or fancier.  Help me be content with serving and meeting other peoples needs and wants instead of my own.  Lord help me be content being  LESS so you can be MORE. 
 
A Seed To Plant: How content are you?  Ask the Lord to show you where you need to be still and content so you can live John 3:30.
 
Blessings on your day!
 

​Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord.  Hebrews 12:14

I suppose most of us have a list.  Some call it a bucket list; others may call it a list of short- and long-term goal and for others is may simply be a wish list to keep tucked in the drawer or in the back of your mind. Whatever you call it, I have something we should add.  This particular item should not only be added to the long term, someday list but also to the task list we make each day.  It’s so important it just can’t wait another day, and we must get into the practice of giving it specific attention.  What is it, you might be wondering…

We need to be holy.  Holiness isn’t just something for sweet old ladies or monks and nuns who spend their days in silent contemplative prayer.  Holiness is something for each of us…today…every day.  It’s something to become and it’s something to talk about.  I just pulled a Christmas gift from a few years ago off my shelf to give it a new look.  It was a book by Matthew Kelly called The Biggest Lie In The History Of Christianity. It’s a great read, easy read, and an important read.  One of the sections that grabbed my attention was the chapter when he spoke about being holy.  Somewhere pop culture snuck in, and we became afraid to let our desire to be holy show or grow. 

I would like to share one simple and powerful strategy he laid out for each of us that can help us embrace and grow our holy.  He suggests not re-vamping our entire life and running off to a convent or monastery, but rather to have a “Holy Moment” today.  He describes that as a moment when you silently stop and do one thing God is guiding you to do.  It might be a moment of silent prayer when you’re prompted to be still.  It might be a simple action or reaction that is inspired by God and not by our desires.  It’s just a moment when we stop, shut up and let God be in charge of us.  It might mean not snapping back or acting with mercy instead of judgement.  It might mean calmly letting someone cut in front of us without getting into a huff; realizing there may be an important reason that driver is in such a hurry.  Mr. Kelly suggests that if we strive for just one holy moment a day, we may soon discover that we have several and when we begin to include them in our days we begin to see God working in our days and before we know it there are dozens of holy moments each day and then change really begins to happen.  Just a moment, that’s how it starts.  That’s how we begin to grow in holiness and that is exactly what God has planned for us to be.

We are usually on the lookout  for big, fancy and often complicated stuff to make our life better but  let’s start with the simple fact that being holy should be the number one thing on our to-do list and let today be the day you strive for your first Holy Moment!

A Seed To Plant:  Ask God to lead you to a holy moment today.  Share it with someone and pass on the holy moment challenge.​

Blessings on your day!