the pathless night | From a Old Soul
George MacDonald didn’t write Diary of an Old Soul for publication. He wrote it as his private journal, in the form of one sonnet per day of the year. Read the rest of this entry »
Telling the Truth
connecting the dots of my life
Category: Spiritual Formation
October 10, 2015
Faculty Wife | Part 13
Hmmm . . . . Are we happy yet? Rodin’s Thinker at Getty Museum , 1972
I’m sitting here looking at the title I gave this series: Faculty Wife. Was I a Faculty Wife during the four short years we were back at the Bible College? If not, Read the rest of this entry »
October 8, 2015
Faculty Wife | Part 12
Time to get back to being a Faculty Wife! In case you don’t remember, we’re in the early 1970s. I’m home alone most weekdays with our baby daughter and toddler son.
I don’t know Read the rest of this entry »
October 4, 2015
When my heart sinks | From an Old Soul
When your heart sinks, how do you think about yourself in relation to God? Things aren’t always as they seem. Read the rest of this entry »
October 3, 2015
My Worst Nightmare? | Story #3
I can’t remember when D sent me this cartoon. I do remember taking one look and saying I’ll NEVER post that cartoon!
So why not? Read the rest of this entry »
October 2, 2015
The Lady of Shalott and I | Story #2
Painting by John William Waterhouse (1849-1917), Tate Gallery, London
In 1983 I began teaching theology at a seminary in the Philadelphia area. Though my office was small, it had a window and built-in bookshelves on almost every wall. The other wall slanted in at the top–taking up precious space and head-room. Read the rest of this entry »
October 1, 2015
feet shuffle | Story #1
feet shuffle
down multiple aisles
approach the altar
sacraments of life
and death remembered
the sound of shoes
resonates against concrete
moves us to receive
hope for life and death
a crumb and a drop
spiritual food for body and soul
It’s 1980-something. Read the rest of this entry »
September 27, 2015
The Most Important Truth I’ve Learned | from Diane
Sadly, this is the last of Diane’s children sermons. It’s dated 11 February 1996–just months before she left her position at the church due to increasing ALS challenges. I’ve put off publishing it–partly because I don’t want to stop hearing her voice.
As one of her sisters, I know how difficult it was for us sisters to ask for help. You and I aren’t little gods or goddesses, sent to live perfectly serene and lovely lives. We’re God’s beloved daughters and sons, sent to live in the muck and mire that comes with mountaintops and valleys. We won’t make it by ourselves. We need each other, not just God.
We also need to know the most important truth Diane has learned. So here it is–in case you haven’t already guessed.
11 February 1996
Well….Good morning, folks! This is a special week! There’s a big day coming up Wednesday. Do you know what it is?
…Right! Valentine’s Day! After first worship somebody told me that’s an awfully sneaky way to remind your husband of Valentine’s Day! But what can I say? It works!
Tell you what. This week has another special day. At the early service Clay [Diane’s husband] nearly fell out when I said it’s our anniversary today!
He knows very well that our wedding anniversary is in June! [laughter] June 12! [more laughter] 25 years this year! [more laughter] Okay! Let’s see if he forgets…! [even more laughter]
Actually the anniversary today is special for me and my husband and our family. Ten years ago today our family joined this church. How about that? So it’s an anniversary for us today.
I’ve been thinking about important things that have happened during those ten years. And especially about the most important thing I’ve been learning the last ten years. I thought of something that reminds me in some ways of Valentine’s Day.
On Valentine’s Day we like to tell people that we love them, and make sure they understand how much we love them. Guess what? For the past ten years the most important truth I’ve been learning about is how much God loves me. That’s a super important thing to be learning.
In fact, when I think about the most important thing I want you boys and girls to learn about when you come to church, it’s that God loves you. Each one of you, and all of us together!
God loves each one of us. I’m learning it doesn’t matter what I do; there’s nothing I can do that will make God stop loving me. And there’s nothing that can happen to me that will separate me from God and God’s love for me.
When you come to church and to Sunday School week after week, you learn a lot of things. I think the most important thing that you could learn is that God loves you. So when you think about Valentine’s Day and about coming to church, I hope you’ll remember that it’s not just people who love us. God loves us, and God loves me no matter what. Let’s pray together and tell God thank you for that.
Thank you, Father, for these boys and girls who are here with me this morning. Thank you that they’re in a place today where they can be learning how much you love each one of them. I thank you for the way that you’re teaching me that truth as well, through this church and through other experiences of life. I pray that each of us will understand more and more the truth that God loves each of us, and that nothing any of us does can change that love. Even better, nothing that happens to any of us can separate us from you and your love for us.
These things we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 26 September 2015
Image from http://www.partiallyperfection.com/god-loves-me-to-pieces/
September 25, 2015
You’re not what I expected
Just over one year ago I posted a poem in honor of our 49th wedding anniversary. I called it The Other 9/11. Now we’ve marked 50 years together—and D is still not what I expected. Read the rest of this entry »
September 24, 2015
Small Signs of Faithful Lives | Photos
The photo above was taken in Edinburgh, directly behind the Sir Walter Scott Monument. We’re looking down into the East Princes Street Gardens. Notice the benches. They line the sidewalk from one end to the other. Each has a plaque Read the rest of this entry »
