paravanes:meditations

Are you estranged from a family member, or feel on the verge of becoming estranged from a family member? Do you feel it's time to put real and feel-able space between yourself and a family member? Are you tired of trying to adjust to a family member's anger, dysfunction, or endless drama? Are you dealing with a family member who always promises to change, but can't or won't follow through? Are you tired of crying over hurts inflicted by someone who is related to you and you feel should love you? How long have you tried to change someone who isn't motivated to change? Have you spent too much time (only you know how long is "too much time") praying for a family member to change in a way that will make it easier, or possible, for you to get along with them and spend time with them free of arguing, extreme stress, and frustration? Are you measuring love based on how much time you can spend happily with someone? Are you feeling pressured to adjust to so...

On tax deadline day, someone hid bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The bombs exploded, killing three people and severely wounding many, many more. The investigation continues at all levels of law enforcement. Those are some of the facts, but it’s maddening that these clear words have been used over and over in news reports to summarize a truth that is founded in someone’s madness, in someone’s evil thinking and evil deeds. The madness of the bomber or bombers makes clear (as if we needed more clarity!) that no corner of our Earth is free from the deadly madness that some call insanity, others call terrorism, and some call sin. What is the meaning in all of this? Christians should resist the temptation to try to explain these horrific events in a context of “why God allows things like this to happen.” Honestly, not one of us really knows why God allows things like this to happen. We should stop saying, suggesting, or implying we know. We don’t know. We should n...

image from inbythroughhim.blogspot.com My father died eleven years ago, on April 5, 2002. It was a staggering loss for me, because although I grew up with both of my parents in our home, my mother had been ill with multiple sclerosis for many years of that period. (She died the following year, in 2003). As a result of my mother’s illness, my father often played the double, “two parents in one body” role. To help me process his passing, I started what I called a “grief workbook”, a small blank book in which I wrote memories, feelings about his death, poetry, and into which I also pasted published proverbs, poems, etc. related to grief and parental death. Having that little book helped me immensely, and I often referred back to it to measure my progress in adapting to the loss of my father. Last Friday, April 5 th , I went back to my little book and was amazed at how deep the grief was, how hard it was for me to envision a world without my father, and h...

Dear Lord, Now that it is done... give me a strong grip, to tear from my heart anything that doesn't honor You, give me a faithful heart to wait while You fill the empty spaces, give me a trusting soul to allow Your choices to rule, give me a bold spirit to speak clearly of what You have done, give me a determined mind to seek Your will everyday, in every place I am, give me a loving soul to share and express who You are to me. Amen. Poem (c)2013  Deborah Evans Graphic is from allenburris.blogspot.com