Glory

In Christmas hymns we have sung "Gloria, Gloria-glory to God in the highest." What is "the Glory of God?" An ancient bishop said, "The glory of God is the human being fully alive."
Are you "fully alive?" What would that mean in your life---to be" fully alive?"
How would being "fully alive" for you reflect God's glory?

Blessings-Penny

Christmas Decorations

The media is reporting that some people and businesses are taking down their Christmas decorations in Newtown. The town is in such pain bright lights and celebration do not seem appropriate. However I read an unrelated story yesterday about a family who buried their very young father on December 20 a few years ago. The mother was encouraged to not "bother" with Christmas. Her response was, "We will celebrate it! It celebrates God becoming human....I need to celebrate that reality. It gives me hope that my John shares God's joy forever."

Let us pray the parents and families of those precious children have a moment, a glimmer that the children are sharing God's joy forever.

Blessings-Penny

Horror

There simply are no words for the horror that happened today in Connecticut.
Let us keep those parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters in our prayers. Their lives are forever changed.
And let us keep the shooter and his family in our prayers too. Forgiveness is so very hard to understand but "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us" is what we are taught.

Blessings-Penny

Freedom

We saw the movie "Flight" the other day. It's a movie about a plane crash and a pilot who has a BIG problem with alcohol and drugs. There is a good scene depicting him at an AA meeting that he walks out of. But to me, the most important scene is the final one. He is is prison after acknowledging his use of drugs and alcohol the day of the flight. He is leading an AA meeting and he says, "As crazy as it sounds, I am more free sitting in here with you guys because I am finally free of the addiction and control and power the drugs had over me." Those might not be his exact words but they are certainly the sentiment he was giving.

Remember those first days, weeks, months of recovery-how free it felt to not be controlled by the addiction?? You smiled more. You walked with a lighter step.

 You are powerless over the drugs but you are not powerless over your life and your choices.

What a gift this recovery is!! Thank God!
Blessings-Penny

new book

My new book, Filling the God-shaped Void-a book of daily meditations was published this week. My "author copies" arrived in a box without much fanfare.  And it is all such a surprise. I do not consider myself an author. Though I had wanted to write about my work with substance abusing women and what I believe is essential for recovery (which I did in Broken by Addiction, Blessed by God), I really had no plan for any further writing. This latest book flowed from this blog and the encouragement of a friend who saw it as useful support for all of us challenged by life's anxieties and losses.

Besides anxieties and losses life has such unexpected gifts and surprises; the gift of the friend's encouragement; the gift of my husband whose voice of strong faith is in the Sunday meditations of the book; the gift of Karen who edits and "messes around" with my awkward sentences; the gift of the Holy Spirit who must have been right here in all of this! The surprise that all of this really happened-out of nowhere-and at my age!

In this season of Advent, can we acknowledge the great gifts we have already received? What are those gifts
in your life that do not have a price tag, that cannot be purchased, that give you joy and peace? What surprises might occur if you are open?

Blessings-Penny