Lenten Carnival!

Jessica, at Homemaking Through the Church Year, is hosting this year's Lenten Blog Carnival.

All denominations are invited to participate!

I'm looking forward to hearing about others Lenten Journey! So many of my ideas have come from other like-minded bloggers.

Thanks, Jessica!

Forget-me-nots

So one tradition we have during Lent is to try to grow some thing from seed with the idea of showing the little ones what we mean about God's life-giving power and how His death brings new life. We've done this for several years and I've always wondered if the metaphor really works.

Well, this year I hadn't gotten to the store for seeds and was afraid we'd have to forgo this idea until I remembered a gift from our student's back in Kenosha, a little packet of "Forget-Me-Not" seeds! I excitedly told G, my 4 yr old, the plan. She first asked about the name...Why "Forget-Me-Not"? And as I waxed on about the poetic beauty of the name for these little flowers totally side-tracked from the true purpose of the whole endeavor, I could see she was thinking and finally she asked her second question:

"Mom, do you mean "forget-me-not" like how Jesus said, "This is my body, broken for you, do this in remembrance of me"?

I had no idea she knew these lines of Scripture?! I was again awed by children's spiritual capacity and, like a flower, to absorb from their environment.

What a joy to watch these flowers grow!

Lent-Day 2

Well, Ash Wednesday was just yesterday but it doesn't take long for some of the realities of Lent to sink in. We need Lent to be 40 days!! When trying to build new disciplines, we will surely fail. Yes, you got it right. I did not live up to my Lenten Practices even on the first day! Fortunately, Lent is not a time for "resolutions" but about drawing closer to God. And so, my efforts reveal even more to me, my need for Him, my need for the cross.

It is during Lent that our sins can become so apparent, like today when I'm striving even more to spend time in prayer, to live a life simplicity. It is today that I am short with the children, lack joy at the tasks before me, long to escape! I am reminded of Paul's words:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy
gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand
all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove
mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have,
and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have
not love, I gain nothing. I Corinthians 13

Lent will not produce much in my life if I try to do it in my own strength merely trading one lot of sin for another, adding new disciplines at the expense of loving my neighbor. God is so good and faithful though. I may think I know the area I should work on during Lent, but if we allow His Spirit to work who knows all that will done! I'm off to pray the Litany of Penitence (BCP p. 267) again.

How has your Lent begun?

Lenten Practices-Part 1: Fasting

One of the three traditional practices of Lent is fasting (Justice towards oneself). The others being, prayer (Justice towards God) and alms-giving (Justice towards one's neighbor).

Since a strict fast doesn't fit in to our current season of life, we've decided to follow the idea of giving up delicacies and meat (similar to Daniel's "I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth...for the full three weeks").


This giving up also ties to the other Lenten practices as well. My hope is that when cravings hit, it will bring to mind Christ's suffering (prayer and meditation). My hope is with the money will save, we will be able to give more to the church (alms-giving). Considering some of the health and environmental effects of meat, my hope is also that there is some small justice towards myself and my neighbor in eating vegetarian for 40 days. For more thoughts on connecting our eating practices to our religious beliefs, I highly recommend Food and Faith: Justice, Joy, and Daily Bread by Michael Schut, it is a collection of reflections by Wendell Berry, Elizabeth Johnson and others to start thinking about the moral, spiritual and economic implications of eating. It includes an eight-week study guide for groups or individuals.

For a simple Lenten snack, we like to make homemade pretzels during lent. Pretzels were a traditional bread during the fast of Lent dating back to the fourth century! These small breads of flour, salt, and water were formed into the shape of arms crossed in prayer. Even if you don't have the time to make your own, having this snack during lent will remind your children that this church season is a time of fasting and prayer.

Lenten Practices-Part 2: Prayer

Lenten Practices-Part 2: Prayer

I have struggled as of late with this second Lenten practice. It is easy to make excuses...I was up all night with the baby, there is no time to myself, no quiet in a house of young ones...

But I would like to take this period during Lent to renew praying the offices of morning, noon and compline (prayer before bed). It has been a rough start. Just because Lent begins doesn't mean our hearts are ready. So I've just begun to pray that God will help me to pray and reveal what that prayer should look like. It is so easy for my prayers to become lopsided, all about my needs or even the sins I think are important. Using a Prayer Book has been a useful tool to structure my prayers and give me words when words fail. Not only do I find much comfort in the structure, but it is in the repitition that the prayers shape my desires to be more like His.

Some tools that have helped me:

When I first wanted to do morning prayers I used the Mission of St. Clare site. This has the offices for morning and evening with the Scripture readings and the cycle of prayer all in one place. It was great when I found flipping through the prayer book distracting and wasn't always sure which Canticle to read, what year it was for the lectionary, etc. Here is the Church of England's online Common Worship Daily Office and there is no clicking involved!


I also have enjoyed Phyllis Tickle's The Divine Hours which are also online here. She draws on the Book of Common Prayer, the Church Fathers, and hymns and even poetry for a fixed hour prayer all in one place. You may also find her introduction to the manual helpful too.


But over the years now, I've most enjoyed using the prayer book itself. Getting online was sometimes too much of a temptation. I'd find myself hurrying through so I could check my email before the kids woke up in the morning. Or in the evening instead of going to bed with "things from above" I'd want one last check of a few blogs. There is also a real beauty to holding a real book! So I purchased a calendar of the readings from Church Publishing. This way I know in a glance the collect, Scripture, saint for the day.

Well, that's all for now: I'm going to go now to pray the noon office while everyone is still napping! Any suggestions you may have to help with this discipline would be great to share!

Lenten Practice-Part 1: Fasting

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is here! Today we'll be attending services at our church.

We've decided to bring the kids with us, instead of swapping services and taking care of them. After all, the passage from Joel for today gives the command to bring them, doesn't it?! So I hope those sitting near us in the pew won't mind our brood and even the "nursing infant."

G. and M. are very excited to go since we talked about it last night at our Shrove Tuesday feast and they know they'll get to meet Dad in the middle of day too. Right now they're having fun coloring this Ash Wednesday page . I may also print out this one for the service in case they have a hard time sitting still but usually all of the sights, sounds, and smells of the church are enough to occupy their hearts and minds!


Joel 2

Return to the Lord
12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,“return to me with all your heart,with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.”Return to the Lord your God,for he is gracious and merciful,slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;and he relents over disaster...
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion;consecrate a fast;call a solemn assembly;16 gather the people.Consecrate the congregation;assemble the elders;gather the children,

even nursing infants.Let the bridegroom leave his room,and the bride her chamber.

Lenten Practices-Overview

The Service for Ash Wednesday in The Book of Common Prayer gives the purpose for Lent:

"The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting... the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith."



We are then invited, not forced out of some sense of duty or legalism, to spend this 40 day period in penitence and prayer:

"I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the
observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance;
by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and
meditating on God's holy Word..."



Though I grew up in the faith, Lent was a new practice when I entered the Anglican church. I was drawn to it for several reasons:


1. I have found that I need to have a period of time to prepare for Easter.

Since Easter is a movable holiday, it can often come upon us as a surprise. Even though as a child I would have started Easter morning with an egg hunt and perhaps a new dress, it was often hard for me to feel much excitement or spend much time understanding the importance of the resurrection on that given day. Going through Lent as an adult I experienced in a new way, a true sorrow at Christ's death on Good Friday and a real joy at His Resurrection on Easter morning. It was with great longing, I wanted to say the "Alleluia" again during the Sunday liturgy, wanted to see the church adorned with its fitting beauty and, in turn, anticipated Easter.


2. I need the help of the Church to practice the disciplines and I need the help of a community to create the space for quiet, reflection, and self-examination.

It seems the human experience that we cannot handle a continual mountaintop experience; we need the denouement of the play to begin quickly after the the climax. Lent moves us into a season for greater devotion; yet, my hope is always that the practices started in Lent will lead to a greater sanctification overall, not just a 40 day renewal. (Though renewal is needed too!) My hope is that the time spent in prayer will bear much fruit even when the season ends.


So over the next few days I'll share some of our families growing practices for Lent and the areas of special focus this year! We'd love to hear from you too!


Why do you observe Lent? What will this time mean for you? Please feel free to comment or add links back to your blogs if you have one. Lent done alone can be difficult. Lent in community can be powerful!

Links for Lent-just to get you started!

Good Morning!! Here are few places to get you started for thinking about Lent! Happy Shrove Tuesday. Looking forward to our Banana Sour Cream Pancakes already!

Thoughtful reflections on Lent



Last year's Anglican Lenten Carnival



And Kerri's own Lenten posts at the same blog





A helpful overview of the season's meaning and history




I'll post our traditions and specific resources for observing Lent with children soon!

The last Sunday after Epiphany

And so Epiphany has been brought to a close and a new season is about to begin...

Today's Gospel passage, Mark 9:2-9, was fitting. We begin Epiphany, meaning "a sudden manifestation" with Christ's revelation to us in the form of a baby, something so powerful and amazing it manifests itself with a bright light shining down upon the baby to allow those seeking Him to find Him. And we end Epiphany again with a manifestation; this time in the Transfiguration. Christ Himself becomes "dazzling white" and his closest friends know who He is: "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!"

In these dark wintery days, I have often yearned for the light. How much more should we yearn for the light and "listen to him."

And so from His Birth we are now journeying to His death. As the wise men asks in "The Journey of the Magi" by T.S. Eliot, "were we led all that way for Birth or Death?...I should be glad of another death."


Journey of the Magi - T.S. Eliot

A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times when we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities dirty and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.
Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wineskins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.
All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

Shrove Tuesday

Whatever you may call Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Pancake Day, Paczki Day, our family loves to celebrate it each year! The reference to pancakes and fat goes back to the days when Lent was a time of strict fasting and so all the household goodies would need to be used up on this day. Shrove Tuesday refers though to the idea of confession; thus, a day for preparing your heart to begin a season of prayer and penitence. On this day, we begin with a celebratory tone, good food, games like the "40 Quiz," and planting seeds but we move to a more quiet and reflective tone so that we can enter into Lent properly. The Church understands our weak wills and so prepares us for a season of preparation with Shrove Tuesday. It helps us to begin Lent well when we have spent the time beforehand to pray and make goals for the new season.



Last year, I wrote about our Shrove Tuesday traditions over at the blog At a Hen's Pace. We were just getting to know this wonderful AMiA church, Light of Christ, in Kenosha as we were leaving and have appreciated Jeanne's insights. So if you'd like to have a little fun making yummy pancakes or perhaps some pretzels, a traditional fasting bread, check out the entry and Jeanne's Lenten practices too!

Sabbath Feast- World Mission Sunday

“Building Up the Body of Christ”

"In 1997, the General convention of the Episcopal Church designated the last Sunday in Epiphany as World Mission Sunday to increase awareness of and participation in the wider global mission of the Church. It offers an excellent opportunity to learn about companion diocese relationships, parish-to-parish links, mission networks and societies, Episcopal missionaries past and present, and ways to get involved with mission efforts throughout the world."



Lectionary for the Last Sunday after Epiphany
2 Kings 2:1-12 Psalm 50:1-6 I Corinthians 4:3-6 Mark 9:2-9



Ideas with kids: We will spend time talking about what missionaries do and checking out our church's mission webpage to talk about the different types of missionaries there are and that we support. But we will also talk about our call to be missionaries and how we can live out the gospel in our own community.

The gospel story is Jesus' transfiguration. The ECUSA suggests the theme of "receiving the gift and offering the gift" which goes nicely with the idea of missions too.

The menu: We are having friends over on Friday night for a big dinner of roast chicken and apple pie so I'm sure we'll just have leftovers! Nothing too fancy!!

Collect for the Last Sunday after Epiphany
O God, who before the passion of your only begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen




Prayers to meditate on during the week for the Mission of the Church


O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you, bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, on God, now and for ever. Amen.




O God of all the nations of the earth: Remember the multitudes who have been created in your image but have not known the redeeming work of our Savior Jesus Christ; and grant that, by the prayers and labors of your holy Church, they may be brought to know and worship you as you have been revealed in your Son; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.




Lord Jesus Christ, who didst stretch out thine arms of love upon the hard wood of the Cross, that all men everywhere might come within the reach of thy saving embrace: So clothe us with thy Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know thee to the knowledge and love of thee; for the honor of thy Name. Amen.- Written by Charles Henry Brent, Missionary Bishop of the Philippines, 1901-1918

A Splendid day at home-making baby food!

It is a cold but bright winter day here. Perfect for getting a project done. I was blessed with a visit from my sister-in-law and her 7 month old baby.

Together we made huge batches of baby food. It was so much more fun with a friend. Instead of seeming like drudgery, we chatted and one of us was always able to keep things going if the other had to stop to feed a baby or wipe a bum!


We made all of Baby C.'s first foods: butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, and applesauce. After cooking and pureeing them, we put them into ice cube trays to freeze and then I will pop them out into freezer bags for individual servings.

To serve, just defrost the number of cubes needed in the microwave.

So easy and will save us so much money and time. Now that's splendid!

Baby C. is a messy eater!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Another Valentine's Children's Book

Scored this Valentine's Book at the library last night. We had read it last year but I couldn't remember the author and then there it was. But it here on Amazon! Since there is no image available, I snapped my own.

A mix of legend and facts, it tells the story of Valentine they martyr during the time of Claudius and how he brought his captor Asterius to belief in Christ. And tells the legend of how he comforted imprisoned Christians by sending them hearts cut out of parchment, signed "Your Valentine."

O the Deep Deep Love of Jesus

My children love watching videos on YouTube. I think they will really enjoy the pictures for this one on Valentine's Day!

But this remake by Indelible Grace is my 2yr old's fav; he knows all the words! The sound quality isn't the best, but he loves music so much, he'll get a kick out of watching them play!

Redeeming Valentine's Day

Did you know there was not one but three different Saint Valentines? And yet none of the accounts of their lives really explain why romance is connected to this Saint Day.

One cute explanation is that Saint Valentine's Feast Day, February 14th, happens to be a day that birds choose their mate and thus it became customary for young lovers to chose their partner.

Or even further back the pagan Romans celebrated the feast for their Lupercas on the 15th and chose their partners, proposed marriage, or declared their love. When Rome became Christianized, the worship of the pagan gods stopped but the love making did not!

"...affection, love, and marriage are not the prerogative of a pagan cult only. There was but one apsect the celebration that had to be changed: its patronage. And so, in place of goddess Juno Februarta a Christian saint took over." The saint closest to this date was the priest and martyr Valentine.

Historically, then, Valentine's Day is an example of Christians redeeming the culture. And now in our day perhaps this needs to be done again. Though we no longer sacrifice to pagan gods, the day has become another example of materialism and self-focus. For many it is filled with loneliness and hurt. To redeem it once again, we can focus as families on the Divine Love and how that love spurred St. Valentine and other Christian martyrs to lose it all for that Love.

To find more information on the Saints Valentine:

Wikipedia

The History of Valentines Day

The book to read with the kids, Saint Valentine by Robert Sabuda

How we'll celebrate:

I never really liked Valentine's Day until we had kids. It always seemed to be a big, commercial holiday that forced unrealistic expectations on people. But now I love finding ways to bring delight and happiness into our lives. For the past few years, I've woken early to make waffles with strawberry syrup and whipped cream before RJ went off to work. Then the kids and I read about Saint Valentine and make our own Valentines to send. I know that this means they won't arrive on time to our family and friends but since the kids are so young it makes more sense to do it altogether. Since this year Valentine's Day falls on our feast night, I will still make our special breakfast but I'll also make the heart cake my mom always made for us as kids too.

We will focus on the question--who is Love, how has Love changed us, how can we show Love in our home, our neighborhood, what are we willing to do for Love?

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

IJohn 4:7,8

Why we teach our children the liturgy

"Some might protest that this...making of wreaths, baking of cakes, crowning of kings, dressing of dolls, cutting, pasting, sewing, planting; that this is not prayer of any depth and certainly not the liturgy of the Church. No, but for people who are learning what the liturgy is, and how to follow the prayer of the Church, who are making their first attempt really to pray it, this is the way to learn. We learn to swim in the shallow water before we are able to swim in the deep. These delightful things to see and touch and smell and taste and hear and make and do are by far the best tools there are to teach the beauty and power of God, and the richness of life in Christ. We provide the natural settings, teach the words, give the ideas, draw the analogies, read the stories, sing the songs, tell the tales, warm all this with our love--and God makes the increase. We are not trying to do His part of the job, only our own--which is to prepare the hearts and minds of our families so that they will respond to Him. If they love the approaches to the knowledge of His love and grace, they will more easily be led to the fountains of love and grace."

Mary Reed Newland, The Year and Our Children

M. dressed as a Wise Man eating his Three Kings Cake,

Epiphany 2007

The Wise Kings journey to the manger!

G. always dressed as Mary with her Baby Jesus

A Valentine Memory

13 years ago my husband and I spent our first Valentine's Day together. It was our Sophomore year and we were "just friends," silly teenagers, really, but we didn't know that then! He met me at my dorm and kindly brought me a rose. I thought the token was more because he was a gentleman and felt pity that I didn't have a real date.

From there we headed out to the Blue Ridge Parkway for a hike through the woods. Our path was a snowy road that had been closed due to the conditions. I no longer remember what we talked about, just that we were comfortable with each other. He would want me to point out how often I "slipped" on the snow, making it a "necessity" for us to walk arm in arm. Sometimes we would talk and talk. He shared the bones of his dreams and plans. I was as amused then to hear him expound passionately as I am now.

But what I really liked were the times we were quiet. We fell into a rhythm together, walking, talking, quiet, enjoying being together in the beauty of the woods and snow. We still do.

Hiking and building our own lean-to, 1995!

Newly married, hiking with our dog, Frodo!

But our days in the woods are quite different now: Baby in front pack, son alternating between the backpack and poking things with a stick, daughter exploring and noticing the small things even we don't. Some would hardly call it a hike. But really what we started then is the same now. We are creating and preserving our own little world, one of discovery, beauty and peace. Splendor in the ordinary.

Hiking with our first in 2005

Then there were four of us, 2006!

Nature walk in the Blue Ridge Summer 2007

May of 2008 at Petrifying Springs Park, WI

Nature walk with the girls, just a few weeks after baby C. was born

A few weeks ago, hiking around with son at Valley Forge National Park

Thus, our Valentine's days are quite different. Fancy restaurants, flowers and chocolates, a rarity. But now we have "the flesh on the bones of our dreams."

My Daybook-Feb 9, 2009

Well, this is my first daybook so here goes!

FOR TODAY FEBRUARY 9TH

Outside my window...all the snow is gone and the sun is shining.

I am thankful for...time with my family this past weekend in the mountains. My parents rented a house for our family and my brother's. We had fun just hanging out, roasting marshmellows in the fireplace, playing games, dancing with the singing deer, movies when the kids went to bed... The guys went skiing Saturday; the girls went shopping Sunday!

Towards a Real Education...we'll be learning about A-A-APPLES! Learning how they grow and their uses, doing a taste test, lots of baking, reading some great picture books and focus on the Fruits of the Spirit. We'll also use Van Gogh's The Pink Orchard for our artist study. But since it's the wrong time of year for this unit, I'm not quite sure what we'll do for our Outdoor Nature Study time.

To Live the Liturgy...we'll learn about Saint Valentine and find ways to express love and affection to one another. I hope to post about this more later!

From the kitchen...we're making apple sauce today. How have I never made this before? It seems so easy-peasy!

I am wearing...a new stripped Old Navy shirt I got on the sale rack for $2.24!

I am creating...I'm still working on knitting my very first scarf, but I can't decide if I should sign up for another round of knitting classes. I desperately need the help...

I am going...to take my daughter to dance class tonight! She had to miss last week because of her cold so she will be so excited.

I am reading...Real Food for Healthy Kids by Tracey Seaman and Tanya Steel because I seem to be in such a rut for breakfasts and lunches. How many days in a row can you have oatmeal for b'fast and PBJ for lunch?

I am hoping...we are finally over our colds. This has been the longest bout of colds my little ones have had. I can't wait for them to be their usual perky selves.

I am hearing...much-needed coffee brewing.

One of my favorite things ...my secret stash of Chocolate Tastycakes! Thanks, mom!!

Around the house...things are getting back into order after a trip away. I'm always amazed how long it takes, especially since we were only gone 2 nights!

Bringing beauty to my home ...I've printed a copy of Van Gogh's The Pink Orchard. I hope it will inspire good discussion and the hope of Spring.

A few plans for the rest of the week: It looks like a quiet week. Looking forward to our Valentine's Day Feast!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Read more Daybook entries at Peggy's page: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Resource for introducing kids to liturgy

Come Worship with Me: A Journey through the Church Year

A Children's Guide to Worship

This series of Mouse Books by Ruth Boling is so sweet! It's an easy way to introduce children to the the order for worship, the church year, symbols of the church, and holy days.

When the kids have been to sick for Sunday school but not to sick to stay home, I've thrown these books into baby bag to keep them quiet! I love that they can read about it and watch it happen at the same time.

Reviews from Amazon:

"...attractive to adults and kids visually... [Boling]writes with a passion and is enthusiastic about worship." (quoting Rev. Karen Stanley) -- The Virginia Gazette, Williamsburg, VA, May 5, 2001, Ann Efimetz

"...of great worth to children's hearts, minds, and spiritual lives... fills a void that has been empty..." -- Assoc. of Logos Bookstores Children's Notes, Nov/Dec. 2000, Maureen Cole, reviewer

"Boling [addresses]subjects as abstract as the Trinity... and as commercialized as Christmas without lapsing into the sanctimonious..." -- The Concord Monitor, December 10, 2000, Rebecca Rule, Reviewer

"Boling's spare, lyrical writing conveys the sacred aspects of the Christian service in concrete ways..." -- The Sunday Telegraph, Nashua, NH, November 19, 2000, Ellen Grimm

5th sunday after Epiphany

We're headed skiing this weekend. We've rented a house with the rest of my family so I've been busy packing and cooking! Our Sabbath Feast will look different this weekend but it will be a chance for us to truly enjoy the splendor of God's Creation in snow and mountains! This week's gospel lesson is Jesus' miracle of healing and since we've all been so sick, it would have been good to talk about with the kids!

For those of you at home, here is a good resource for activities for children related to the lectionary readings. Catholic Moms compile a bunch of ideas from Catholic and Protestant places. I would love to hear how you will spend your family time or any ideas you have for making Sunday a day of refreshment and rest!

Can you believe it's less than 3 weeks to Lent? Mark your calendars and start your planning.

The Tuesday Review: Sacramental Life

Using Liturgy for Spirtual Direction and Formation

"Liturgy teach[es] us what to desire and what to seek from the Lord, both trimming away what is self-serving and opening our minds and hearts to the full range of what God desires to work for us, in us and through us. They form in us the habits of the most significant spiritual disciplines valued by Christian disciples through the centuries--adoration, prayer, self-examination and confession, as well as listening to and being shaped by Scripture. By means of these disciplines, we draw closer to God and grow more attuned to the mind of Christ." (DeSilva, p. 12)

I've been slowly reading through the Sacramental Life: Spiritual Formation Through the Book of Common Prayer by David A. DeSilva, a gift from the wise men on Epiphany! (My husband really, not sure if he counts yet as a wise man or not.) It starts with an introduction to the liturgical life and the BCP. It then is divided into Four Parts: Baptism, Holy Eucharist, Christian Marriage, and Christian Burial with a discussions on how the BCP guides us to think about the topic. I like that each chapter is only 2 pages--enough to digest in one sitting (though it seems with little ones it can be hard to even have time in the bathroom without interruption!). Each chapter ends with a suggestion on "Putting it into Practice," a way for the truth of Scripture to form your life.

I've enjoyed it so far, I hope I'll share more as I go!