Today, I'm offering a simple reading of a passage of Scripture that shares a grounded perspective on time and life with God. I find this to be a helpful passage during seasons of transition, and as we move from one calendar year to the next, it's certainly fitting now.

As I read, you're invited to listen and notice what you notice. Once the reading is through, I'll offer a few questions for reflection, as you consider the reminders God might have for you in this passage. Feel free to pause, to rewind, or even revisit as you see fit.

As always, I hope it serves you well.

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Darkness often gets a bad rap. We tend to associate it with fear, danger, disorientation. For many of us, it is a space or experience that makes us feel vulnerable. And when darkness feels like a threat, we're convinced we need to steer clear.

However, I'm learning that darkness is not necessarily synonymous with evil; that it's not all bad; that not all darkness needs to be feared or avoided; that as vulnerable as it might make us, darkness can and should be welcomed.

As much as we might be prone to pit darkness and light against one another, I wonder if they actually go hand-in-hand. In the context of our life with God, I wonder if God is just as present and at work in the dark as God is present and at work in the light. I wonder if darkness can be holy ground, too.

Perhaps that's part of the good news of Christmas—that God is with us, even in the dark.

Dans Le Noir? Restaurant | London, England

Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor

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Well, friends, believe it or not, we are already in the middle of the Advent season.

In light of this, in this episode I'll offer a reading of a pretty familiar and traditional Advent passage, followed by a few questions for your reflection. I hope this simple reading can be a kind companion for you in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the season.

Feel free to pause, to rewind, or even revisit as you see fit. As always, I hope it serves you well.

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So often, we live distracted, anxious, and on edge. Our souls grow depleted and discouraged. And we find ourselves unable to function faithfully. That is certainly the case in my own life—maybe you can relate?

One thing I'm learning is that when overwhelm is my reality, worship is my rescue.

What does that mean? Listen in.

remind{h}er 147: Psalm 138

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Today, I'm offering a simple reading of Psalm 138. It's one of several psalms in Scripture considered to be psalms of thanksgiving and praise. And as we move toward the official Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S., I thought a psalm like this might be fitting. After the reading, I'll also offer a few questions for reflection. As always, I hope they serve you well!

Listen in.

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When we are presented with new information, when our ideas and understandings and opinions are challenged, when we discover a new perspective from a different lived experience, when God shows up in a place or in a person or in a way that is unexpected or unfamiliar, how are we to respond?

That's the question we're considering in today's episode. Listen in!

remind{h}er 144: Mark 7:24-30 + Matthew 15:21-28

Kami Nadeen from Seed of a Dream

The Critical Journey by Janet Hagberg and Robert Guelich

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Being bothered—feeling unsettled, irritated, aggravated—is part of the human experience. And, if you're like me, it's a part of the human experience we tend to avoid, if at all possible. It's often easier to look away, stuff down, work around. And yet, I'm learning how important our willingness is to lean toward the discomfort, to move through the disturbance, to pay attention to what bothers us. Because that is a space in which God can meet us; truly, even what bothers us can be holy ground.

As we continue to become the people God calls and invites to be, I'm learning what bothers us could be key. Listen in.

remind{h}er 144: Mark 7:24-30 + Matthew 15:21-28

Stubborn Blessing by Jan Richardson

Rev. Loli Reiter

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Today, I'm offering a simple reading of not one but TWO passages from Scripture. They both tell the same story of Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman. However, there are subtle differences and unique details in each. Basically, I couldn't choose between the two, so we're considering both together :)

Listen in.

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We're taught from a young age, that if we say the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, our words will "work."

As silly as it seems, sometimes, I find myself treating prayer in a similar way. Prayers are these words I say, and if I say them at the right time, in the right way, and with the right amount of frequency, well, they just might work. Maybe you can relate?

It's easy to believe our prayers are only words we say, thoughts we think, requests we make in the presence of God; I'm discovering, though, that prayer is much more than that. That perhaps prayer might also include the things we do, the actions we take, the lives we live.

What if prayer doesn't stop when we say, "Amen?" Listen in.

The Only Necessary Thing by Henri Nouwen

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Thank you to my friends Jenni and Renee for being sound sounding-boards as I prepared this episode :)

Today, I'm offering a simple reading of one of Jesus' teachings on prayer, found in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount. As I read, you're invited to listen in and notice what you notice. Once the reading is through, I'll offer a few questions for reflection, as you consider the reminders God might have for you in this passage. I hope it serves you well!

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