Sacred Threshold ::

Blog Birthday :.

Once upon a time in a faraway land, a young girl, disguised as an old lady, decided she wanted to put her thoughts down so to share them with others. Little did she know the great adventure she would have as she dared to explore her well kept ramblings with others.

This week marks the beginning of my fourth year of blogging. I began my escapade in blog world the week after Christmas in 2004. I am still here--at least when I can. Full time church planting/pastoring has refocused some of my creative writing energies in other places but from time to time I still find my way back to the site to post.

If you are reading this, thanks for visiting. It has been good to share my thoughts with you. Hope to see you again soon.

Traffic :.

Yesterday we spent an inordinate time on the road taking our daughter and son-in-law to the airport. Partly due to the weather, partly due to the time of day in which we traveled, partly due to it being a Friday, partly due to it being a holiday week, partly due to an accident on the Interstate, our travel time was almost six hours!

We got back to our house as Jess called to tell us they had safely landed.

I could have flown all the way to Denver in that time!! Crazy!!

Retreating :.

Simple joy supported by simple rhythms.

This weekend fourteen Abbey Way-ers entered the silence and stillness of the Advent season at St. Benedict's Monastery in St. Joseph. Supported and held by each other in prayerful awareness, the nativity story opened once again to our hearts in wonder and truth.

Not a novice to retreat, the experiences shared by the participants at our ending communion together, encouraged me once again to the awesome intersection of God-with-us as we slow down enough to listen and receive.

We took a great giant step forward together as a community as connection and intimacy was built in the quiet, spilling over into our evening worship together Sunday night. The yeast of the silence grew and was shared as we tangibly took time in our worship to minister the life of Christ to each other through presence, touch, and prayer, then sitting in quiet together.

It was a very good weekend. God's grace was all over it!

Advent Blessings :.

One of the blessings of being in community over the long haul is seeing people's gifts and talents being released.

On the left is one of two banners that a group of Abbey Way women made for the Advent season. Struck by the simplicity and the beauty of the banner at first sight all I could say was the word "beautiful" over and over again.

One of the makers of the banner commented how she feels like she has a place to bring who she is to Abbey Way.  She not only has a place but has enlisted others in partnering with her in her artistic vision.

In our second season of Advent at Abbey Way, our focus together has been in the wonderful images of the coming King and his Kingdom found in Isaiah. The scriptures have helped highlight and illuminate what is true and real about who Jesus is and why he came. This Advent the call is not so much on waiting for the revelation of what is to be but an embrace of what is true and right before us.

The shift is deep down in the heart of God's promise to us as individuals and a community of faith.

In the glow of the blue candles of waiting, there is hope of God's Kingdom touched and tasted in us and through us. Humble beginnings birthing something more.The banner making is but one fruit of the evidence of the Kingdom grace that is experienced among us.

"Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given..."