Unforced Rhythms of Grace

How do people do all of the stuff they are supposed to do? Pray, read the Bible, meditate, worship, serve. That’s the spiritual disciplines. Then there are everyday things like cleaning, cooing, yard work and paying bills. Oh and we’re supposed to take care of ourselves, exercise, and eat right. Not to mention working and all the stuff that goes with it. Then of course there is hanging out with friends, and having fun. Oh yeah… sleep! Maybe I am just exceptionally lazy, or inept, or who knows what but I am overwhelmed by the thought of all of the stuff that I should be doing that I am not. I was talking to someone else and she pointed out to me that I needed a saviour in this area of pain. I think that even if I didn’t have painful stuff going on the thoughts of all the things I have to do is convincing me that I need divine intervention – I need a saviour just to get through the day!

This year is the first year I have observed lent. I think I tried a few years ago and quickly abandoned the idea. The reason I didn’t do it is that I didn’t really think that I could ever hope to come close to the suffering that Jesus did on the cross by giving up 'blank.’ That and the people around me weren’t part of a tradition that participated in lent so really I didn’t even think about it that often. I came across an article on the web (I’d give you the link but the article has since been removed) that described lent from another angle. It suggested that lent was more about shaking up your routine. It also explained that not observing lent (or actually doing what you gave up) on Sunday was a key part of the process because Sunday is about celebration. It sounded intriguing to me so I decided to give up baths. I have to admit that part of the reason giving up baths sounded like a good idea was so that I could say that and watch people’s response. I didn’t give up bathing. I sti

Lately things have been going really well for me. After I realized that I needed to be changed about a month ago, things have been changing at a fast pace. I know that I can’t change myself. God is doing his work in me. I see things completely differently. This is a huge contrast to how I have been feeling the past couple of years. Everything was a struggle. I couldn’t figure out why my spiritual life seemed like it was lost to me. Whatever I tried didn’t seem to work. I was fairly unhappy most of the time. I felt like a part of me was dead. Now I have come alive again. I know how I came alive but what I don’t really understand is how I got to where I was. How did I allow that to happen? Are there ways I can stop it from happening again? I know that bad stuff happens but I don’t think that means that I have to struggle spiritually the way I was for so long. In my bathroom I have a light fixture over the vanity with four bulbs. Today I replaced three of them. I was taking a bath looking