Blogs

Working outdoors, it was as if the fern, perhaps all of nature was whispering.... 'Wait for it; nearly here'.... Holding my breathe for the Good News at dawn. Pastor Leah

{From Kathie Curtis, shared by permission.} How have we betrayed You today, Lord? Is it by esteeming ourselves over others by any measure? Is it by devastating Your Creation for our own convenience, seeing our role as domination rather than stewardship? Is it by engaging in endless war in 80 countries on Your earth? Is it in seeing boundaries on Yo...

According to the news, the United States may be nearing the 'apex of the Covid-19 curve'. Time will tell if that is the case; however, it is not lost on me that the peak of the pandemic {or the route to it} is unfolding during Holy Week. Death and life. Fear and astonishment. Wonder and bewilderment. All intertwined. Easter is the ever-reminde...

Hidden gems all around us... Kindness. Encouragement. Generosity. Delight. Mercy. Care. Creativity. Tenderheartedness. God is stirring; praying that your heart sees. Pastor Leah

I am treasuring my sightings of YOU! A wave through my study window, an across -the-yard or across-the-street chat, texts, emails, calls, thank you for the gift of ongoing relationship. And besides that, I thank you for your wisdom. While not the precise words, what follows came from a phone conversation with one of you. Pastor, very shortly we wil...

A year ago, Palm Sunday looked entirely different. Along with the worship details, having enough seating, communion, and hospitality were very much apart of the unfolding conversation. This year, utterly different. I spread the multitude of palms out front on the sidewalk, for a visual in our town and in hopes that people might ...

​We are here, entering the Holiest point in the Church Year.  Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, a day when we unpack Christ's Passion. The week includes the Triduum {Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil} and lands us at Easter Sunday. This year we will not be the Church gathered, but instead the Church scattered. But, sti...

Prayer of St. Francis, slightly adapted by Intervarsity Staff. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: Where there is fear, let me sow love; Where there is isolation, friendship; Where there is panic, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may Not s...

Just a few weeks back, Jesus used mud to heal the man who had been born blind. Which causes me to think deeply about a God who can even use mud for Divine purposes. As we wander in the season of wilderness isolation, we find that the same God who used mud to bring sight, can likewise work good, even during a pandemic. Suddenly toilet paper becomes ...

'Stick together and stay apart.' I am simply relaying what a wise one among you had to say. In truth, a sort of a push-me/pull-me, don't you think? Connected from afar… Distanced relationships… The concept seems in opposition, and yet, this is our present reality. Social distancing to protect ourselves and others, all the while we are still communi...

This afternoon Pastor Manuel and I had a Zoom meeting with Pastor Melissa Reed, one of the Associates to our Oregon Bishop. During our conversation, she complimented Immanuel on managing to 'pivot' swiftly and smoothly at we were driven into the Wilderness Season of Covid-19. As we unpacked what she spoke to, the credit belongs to an amazing commun...

This week was our third Sunday of worshiping via Live Stream and I have been told that technologically it was also the worst. Internet usage is running so high that during peak periods, glitches have become the norm. Be assured that you can still view Sunday worship {or Wednesdays for that matter} as it exists beyond Live Stream. Go back to Fa...

Kent and I were out for a walk when I saw one of you. How good it is to have a conversation, even brief and at a proper distance, of course. I heard from her about family yoga and games, rich time spent together these days. And then she asked the question: What will we learn from these days of quarantine? What will we hold onto? The entire wor...

Quarantine from the Cat's perspective: The humans are home more; the fireplace is on more. More lap time with the favored human. More yowling occasions; therefore, almost certainly more treats. Human gets the mat out; must be time for us to snuggle on the floor, even as the human attempts to move about. Cupboards and drawers that are usually closed...

Speaking with our Bishop yesterday, we were reminded that if we are only paying attention to the media, we are likely to be caught up in, even swept away by the whirlwind of anxiety. Being informed and taking proper precautions is necessary, even essential. But I would say, so is watching for grace-break-throughs ~ joy...

Even though we have mild winters here in the valley, there are still many plants that 'die back' in the late fall and winter, only to 'spring back to life' as the temperature warms again. On my walk this morning, this hosta demanded attention.  Is there any better reminder of perseverance or hope?   Pastor Leah

{From a member of the community, shared with permission.} This family went to the grocery store with a very specific shopping list. Included in that list was a loaf of Dave's Killer Bread, the variety with raisins. As they rounded the corner into the bread isle, wide open and empty space greeted them. Cleaned out. Gone. Nothing. However, ...

After an extended absence, today I found my way back to yoga. I have always enjoyed yoga but I still find all sorts of excuses that keep me away from the gym. And now, gyms are closed. No need for excuses. As this wilderness season intensifies, I know that I must be about the business of good self-care. For me, that includes yoga. So I go...

So many details in the news, but what stood out this day was the profound ripple effect of the Coronavirus. According to the BBC it took 67 days for the first 100,000 people to be diagnosed, 11 days for the next 100,000, and only 4 more to add another 100,000. Astonishing. Also mind-boggling were the numbers of how many 'others' a single ...

​In today's Gospel reading, Jesus spit in the dirt to create mud; he then spread that mud on the eyes of a man who had been born blind. Jesus used messy, slimy, saliva-dirt to give the man the gift of sight, thus transforming his life. If the Divine can use anything, even mud for a good purpose, I wonder how God will work in and through the Coronav...