Sunday Sanctuary

My form of worship is music. It is through music that the Spirit speaks to me. It is through music that my sould is refreshed. Music is how I pray; how I commune with the Almighty. 

On this Sunday, I find Sanctuary in music once again. From the hymns, to the new and popular praise and worship music, I dance, I sing, I reflect and I pray. 

Among the many, many artists I enjoy, young and old, I am a fan of the powerful vocals of David Phelps. I recently came across his song, "The End of the Beginning" and had to share it here. It is the power of the Gospel, the very purpose for which Jesus came, wrapped up in a power song. Enjoy.


I was takin’ a trip on a plane the other day
just wishin’ that I could get out
When the man next to me saw the book in my hand
and asked me what it was about
So I settled back in my seat
a best seller I said
a history, a mystery in one
and then I opened up the book and began to read
from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

He was born of a virgin one holy night
in the little town of Bethlehem
angels gathered round him underneath the stars
singing praises to the great I Am
He walked on the water, healed the lame, and made the blind to see again
and for the first time here on earth we learned that God could be a friend
and though he never ever did a single thing wrong
the angry crowd chose him and then he walked down the road
and died on the cross and that was the end of the beginning

That’s not a new book that’s a bible he said and I’ve heard it all before
I’ve tried religion its shame and guilt and I don’t need it anymore
It’s superstition made up tales and just to help the weak to survive
Let me read it again I said listen closely, this is gonna change your life

He was born of a virgin one holy night
in the little town of Bethlehem
angels gathered round him underneath the stars
singing praises to the great I Am
He walked on the water, healed the lame, and made the blind to see again
and for the first time here on earth we learned that God could be a friend
and though he never ever did a single thing wrong
the angry crowd chose him and then he walked down the road
and died on the cross and that was the end of the beginning

The end of the beginning he said with a smile
what more could there be? He’s dead.
you said they hung him put nails in his hands
and a crown of thorns on his head
I said I'll read it again but this time there’s more
and I believe that this is true
his death wasn’t the end, the beginning of life
that’s completed in you
don’t you see he did all this for you!

He was born of a virgin one holy night
in the little town of Bethlehem
all the angels singing praises to the great I Am
He walked on the water, healed the lame, and made the blind to see
and for the first time here on earth did you know that God could be a friend
and though he never did a single thing wrong
he was the one the crowd chose and then he walked, and he died,
but three days later, three days later, three days later, HE ROSE!!!!!!!!
three days later HE ROSE!!!!!!!!

You see he came, he lived, and he died
but that was the end of the beginning 

Humbly Grateful

I sit, belly full from a wonderful breakfast; warm mug of coffee sending wafts of aromatic steam up to my nostrils. Apart from the simple word of thanks uttered at the family table, gratefulness for the comfort which envelopes me is far from my mind. 

And then I read this: When Food Becomes a Hallowed Thing, and I am on my knees. 

Hands raised in thanksgiving to a Father who has blessed us with abundance. Heart full of gratitude for the happy, healthy, child I often fight with just to eat what's on her plate. My mind travels to Africa, and the many who are suffering. Tears threaten to spill as I think of the mother cradling her young one, thin and malnourished. A child who has known nothing but suffering; slipping away in silence, too weak to even cry. 

Lord, forgive me for not remembering them. Forgive me for taking what we have for granted. Teach me to be humbly grateful, and to give of what I have...

Want to help? The Canadian Government is matching dollar-for-dollar donations to the faminine relief. You can donate through organizations like World Vision, Samaritan's Purse, The Red Cross, etc.

Blanketed in Thanks

To me it was a menial task. I do it several times a week, this thing called laundry. But to her, the task of washing these precious threads was an act of trust. Parting with her smelly, dirty, much-loved blankets, one affectionately known as "Pink" and the other, the more loved of the two, "Blankie," was a demonstration of her complete and utter trust in me.

She watched as I added the soap, turning the machine on to drown her beloved friends in water. “Bye Bye Blankets,” she whispered. And then she was off. Off to play in her imaginary world; confident in the knowing that her blankets would soon be returned.

And so they were.

After a quick wash and dry, I called to her and she came running. The anticipation was palpable as she eagerly rushed through the laundry room door.

With a tug on the dryer and a squeal of delight, child and cuddly friends were reunited. She in awe of how warm and soft they were; me in awe at how such a simple thing could be so desperately important to one so small.

She left with a smile on her face, eager to show Pink and Blankie all they had missed while they were taking a bath. But not before turning, and sweetly saying the words this woman, who had performed the most mundane of domestic tasks, needed to hear.

“Thank you Momma!” “You’re welcome baby.”

Extraordinary!

Sunday's Sanctuary

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."  
1 Peter 4:8

A Small Moment

Body weary from a busy week, I struggle to stay awake while snuggled on the couch with a book. Simply longing for a few minutes to myself to rest, I struggle with impatience at the child tugging at my toes to play with her. 

Undeterred by my request to simply play quietly by herself, she climbs up beside me. "Mommy?" she whispers quietly. 

I sigh and respond, "Yes child."

And then it happens. One small extraordinary moment amid the domestic routine of my day. 

Cupping my face in her little hands, she pulls me close and whispers...

"I love you."

Extraordinary Love

Love is patient. I needed that reminder this morning while coaxing my "I don't like breakfast or really have any desire to eat before noon" child to take a bite of her Rice Krispie cereal. I needed that reminder this morning when I lost my cool with my poor, dear hubby, who was simply trying to love me. Help me. Head pounding. Eyes heavy. Stomach churning. The last thing I felt like doing this morning was being lovingly patient. 

And then I read this: "My failure to love is first a failure to be grateful for who people are right now. And my impatience is a result of my unthankfulness." (When You're Finding It Hard to be Patient) A blog I read daily, this particular post was the shot in the arm I needed today. 

Today - a very ordinary, routine, regular kind of day. Love is patient. 

Because love is grateful. 

Grateful for the child who, despite her unwillingness to eat her breakfast, greeted me this morning with a smile and a cheery "Hi mama!" 

Thankful for the husband who offered to stay home since I was not feeling well.

Appreciative of the days of good health I enjoy, and even the days when I'm not well ... for it means I am alive!

Today's extraordinary moment comes in this: Love is patient... because love is grateful.

Starting Over...

This blog, much like it's author, has been slowly evolving, changing, and seeking purpose. What started out as simply an outlet for my creative juices, turned into a place to share my faith journey and inspire others. 

But then my life changed in a rather drastic way. I became a mother. (You can read the story of how that journey began here and here.) With motherhood came a roller coaster of emotions, questions, and changes that caught me completely off guard. And for a time this blog has reflected that. Disjointed. Lacking in focus. Sometimes funny. Sometimes sad. Often silent. Again, much like it's author.

However, over the past few months I've been on a journey toward rediscovery. Out of a desire to refocus and regain that which had been lost, I have been silent with good reason. Mother Teresa said it best: “We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.”

As I've worked through things, I've done so with the express purpose to come back to this blog. To retool it, repurpose it, refocus it. To somehow pull out of my experiences in this unexpected adventure of motherhood, and share that journey with others. And as I mulled this over ... I came across this quote:

"The constant challenge to domestic life, because it is full of repetition and familiarity, is to assume it isn’t also extraordinary." ~Lance Odegard  This captures what I want to express perfectly! To blog about my day to day life as a domestic; to walk alongside others who are seeking to find purpose in the routine! And so begins the repurposing of this blog. To search daily to find the extraordinary in an otherwise very ordinary role of a wife and mother. 

Note: this picture was taken one month after my daughter was born. She is now 2 going on 3! Time goes much, much too fast. Another good reason to stop and recognize the extraordinary nature of the journey!