It feels just right, like your favorite sweatshirt on a cool summer evening. It kind of feels like the type of work Jesus describes in Matthew 11, easy and light. It’s still work. There is still plenty of trouble to navigate, and it takes focus and intentionality to move forward together. But doing so with […]
Chased by Mercy + Goodness
Mother’s Day is a mixed bag. This day can elicit profound joy or swallow us into devastating sorrow (sometimes both at the same time). It is good, very good, to show love and appreciation for the moms in our lives. Those handmade pictures and family lunches and words of encouragement can fuel us moms and […]
Good Night, Dear Heart
As I look at my calendar for today, I see an appointment with my spiritual director. I’ll keep space for you, Sister Carol, as you always did for me. In the wake of her sudden death, my heart finds a sweet, sorrowful comfort in the words of “Good Night, Dear Heart,” a song that encapsulates […]
Gutted by Grief
I was knocked to my knees yesterday as I heard the news of my dear Sister Carol‘s sudden passing. Carol has been my spiritual director for nearly 3 years and became (in her words) my “spiritual grandmother.” We loved one another deeply, in the way only Jesus could orchestrate. I feel a bit lost already […]
A Community Gathered + Scattered
Dear Church, In preparation for our Society Meeting on January 27th, I have been looking for the ways God is forming us into community of people who live like Jesus. Living like Jesus means saturating our lives in prayer, embodying the love of God, reading Scripture, living uprightly, being filled with the Spirit’s power, and establishing God’s […]
Yoga for Advent: Week 3
Scripture Meditation Advent, however, invites us into an entirely different experience with waiting. During this season of anticipation and longing for the coming of Christ, we can actually choose to hurry up and wait. Rather than allowing our waiting to be entirely governed by external forces, we can actually create times of stillness for watching […]
Yoga for Advent: Session 2
Scripture Meditation All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for […]
Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room
These days leading up to Christmas are easily filled with preparations. Maybe you’re following an Advent devotional and you’re already a few days behind (like we are). Maybe you were hoping to have your tree up and the lights strung, but that just isn’t happening. Maybe you are one of those cookie-baking-extravaganza-types who buys a […]
Yoga for Advent: Session 1
Music Advent: Music in Solitude arranged and produced by Eric Nordhoff (available at Transforming Center Resources Reflection So this week, let’s practice waking up so we don’t miss any of the ways in which Christ comes to us every day. Sitting quietly in the pre-dawn hours waiting for the light to come—almost imperceptible at first—is […]
Yoga to De-Stress: Session 4
Music Advent: Music in Solitude arranged and produced by Eric Nordhoff (available at Transforming Center Resources Scripture Psalm 94:19 “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” Prayer Meditation “I Need to Breathe Deeply” by Ted Loder Guerillas of Grace http://www.melanieeccles.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018_11_05-Yoga-to-De-Stress.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download