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Geminid Meteor Shower
I glanced out my window at 4:36am to the sight of a long bright streak crossing the sky- one of the best shooting stars I’ve seen! I had read that the best time for viewing the Geminids was between 11:30pm and 4:30am, but I was sleeping during those hours. I awoke in my chilly room at 4:35am, briefly considered staying snuggled in the warmth of my blankets, but then roused myself, looked out the window… and beheld an invitation to watch God’s nighttime display of glory. I pulled on a warm robe and hurried outside in time to see… nothing. Well, plenty of regular stars, but no more shooting stars.…
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Sketching Prayer
Last Friday I took a quiet day from my full schedule and spent the day at Holy Cross Monastery, where there are quiet spaces, comfortable chairs, good lunches, and wonderful river views, all wrapped up in an atmosphere of prayer and contemplation. Last year I took one day at the monastery each week of Advent, and I’m hoping to do likewise this year. When I am there my phone is on airplane mode and I spend my day in silence, reading Scripture, praying, musing, and sketching. I consider all of these sketches from last week to be a form of “sketching as prayer,” whether or not I have Scripture or…
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Advent Longing, Hope, & Waiting
The Advent themes of longing, hope, and waiting have been running through my mind all week. I’m thinking about my deeper longings and how properly placed hope can help me wait confidently and with expectation for those longings to be fulfilled. We’re surrounded by upbeat Christmas music, lights, and glitter, but if we stop to get in touch with the longings that often stay hidden beneath all our activity and also the longings of much of the world, we know that all is not truly upbeat for us or for the world. What are some of my longings? I long for broken hearts to be healed, broken relationships to be…
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Advent Retreat: Waiting, Longing, & Hope
“Advent is a season of expectant waiting, tapping into the sense we have that all is not well, the longing for the world to be made right again… By helping us to hope intensely for restoration, to feel our own need to be saved, Advent prepares us for genuine Christmas joy and faith in the One who saves us from our sin, Jesus.” (Reinders, Philip. Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible Through the Year. Faith Alive Christian Resources & Baker Book House. 2005) Advent RetreatDecember 2, 9:45 AM to 3:00 PMImmanuel ChurchWappingers Falls, NY You’re invited to an Advent Retreat at Immanuel Church on Saturday, December 2nd from 9:45am to 3pm. Join us for a…
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Personal Advent Retreat
I spent a wonderful 24 hours at Holy Cross Monastery this week. While I didn’t have a particularly Advent-themed plan for my retreat, I had wanted to take time for silence and reflection at the start of Advent, which is also the start of the Church Year. The monastery was in complete silence for their Advent Contemplative Days, and the whole time there was richly quiet. I went with the idea of pondering a Rule of Life for this season of my life and as a new liturgical year begins (a Rule of Life is a way of intentionally planning for the pattern and practices of one’s life, in particular…