Labyrinth time during Holy Week

Though my Lenten practice of walking/praying the labyrinth is over, I wanted to walk/pray during Holy Week. 

I was able to get my time in at dusk.

As I approached the labyrinth at Burks UMC,  I saw something brown in the grass. Was it a squirrel? It turned out to be a bunny rabbit. There were two. The one in the left hopped away sooner than the one on the right. 

Bunnies and blooms were the overall theme tonight, along with crickets as the primary sound.

The violets were in full bloom. There were a few dandelions in white form, or as I call them, blowy flowers. 

My heart seemed heavier tonight. I sat vigil this afternoon with someone who will soon be crossing the threshold.  Yet, that is not a heavy thing. It is a beautiful experience, Holy ground, and an honor to walk that part of life with someone. 

Truthfully, it is a beautiful experience, Holy ground, and an honor to walk any and all parts of life with someone.  That is something I enjoy offering to another. It is part of who I am. Me, as me. Me, as pastor. Me, as ally. Etc. It is simply me. I have always walked alongside others, meeting them where they are.

Maybe that's what keeps drawing me back to the labyrinth. It takes me to the center of things, to the center of who I am. It allows me to let go, to trust the One who created me, and to help me to be me.

As this week continues, may I walk/pray knowing I am a beloved child of God. May I live into the me I am created to be. 

May you know this too. May you do this too.

Peace, 

Rev. Deb

2nd week of Lent-- labyrinth time and study

I wasn't sure if I would get in my weekly labyrinth time this week or not. I wanted to walk/pray prior to the Lenten study,  but we were running late.

I parked and headed down to the labyrinth. I wasn't sure what my intentions were for this walk/prayer time. There is much on my heart and mind.

As I entered the labyrinth, I began a breath prayer: "breathing in peace". That stayed with me the entire way to the center. There was no breathing out portion. I breathed in peace. Physically,  I breathed out, but there was no accompanying prayer.

I arrived at the center, stood for a moment looking around at the cloudy and darkening sky, and turned to head out. As I turned to head out, it came to me: "breathing out all else". My journey back through the labyrinth then was with this breath prayer: "breathing in peace; breathing out all else". I guess "all else" pretty much covers anything that isn't peace.

While in the labyrinth I saw some tiny violets, heard birds, and felt a nice breeze.

I got to the end/entrance and as is my custom,  I stood for a moment, giving thanks. Then I hurried off to the Lenten study.

I wasn't too late.

I am glad I sacrificed being late to walk/pray the labyrinth. That isn't easy for me. Being late isn't a part of me.

The study, I learned, is by Sarah Parsons: a clearing season: REFLECTIONS FOR LENT. Cool. I happened to have that one at home.

The Scripture passages we looked at were from Mark and Joel.  

Some of what we discussed about the wilderness was that it takes courage to enter the wilderness. In the wilderness we can be 

unnerved, uncomfortable, unsettled. There is a lack of control in the wilderness.  How fun does that sound?! Yet, in the wilderness,  we find ourselves, our true selves. We learn to listen in that space.

I am grateful for wilderness times and spaces. I am grateful for the Lenten Season.  It is a time, as is stated on the back of the book, to clarify our relationship with God. 

I like this invitation of welcoming the Lenten Season,cas stated on the back of the book. So, I share it here as an invitation this 2nd week of Lent: "Welcome the Lenten season as an opportunity to clarify your relationship with God."

Peace,  

Rev. Deb

Breathing in peace; breathing out all else. 

Journey to the Center-- labyrinth time

This past Monday I felt compelled to visit a nearby labyrinth on my way to work in Dalton, GA. The morning air was cool and crisp and the ground was frosty and crunchy.

Walking and praying a labyrinth has been part of my spiritual practices for a while now, but I don't do it regularly. I am considering it as a regular Lenten practice this year, though I don't know how often I can commit to it. We'll see.

This time in the labyrinth I felt and heard the crunch of the mulch beneath me. I heard the songs of birds surrounding me in nearby trees, though I didn't really see many of them.

My custom is to take a moment before entering the labyrinth, taking a moment of stillness and offering the time to Creator. Then I began the journey and offer whatever names and situations come to mind as I walk the journey in, offering them in prayer to Creator. When I get to the center, I stop. I rest. I listen. In this labyrinth, there are three benches in the center for just that-- stopping and resting. 

When I begin my journey out, I offer whatever names and situations that come to mind in thankfulness and praise to Creator. 

As I reach the end, I step out and take a moment of stillness, giving thanks for the time with Creator.

Though I may not know 100% what has transpired within me during this time, it is more than not a time of calming, strengthening, renewing, and centering for me. 

I am grateful to have this labyrinth so close to where I live and grateful that I listened to the "nudge" on Monday.

I posted this on my social media while I was in the center:

"Come with me to the center. Join me at the labyrinth and walk/pray with me. Your burdens and joys are likely different from mine, yet we can offer them here. We can listen to the birds sing and hear the crunch of our feet on the frosty mulch. Breathing in and breathing out. (The video is about 5 1/2 minutes. It only contains the journey in.) #labyrinth #spiritualpractice @burksumc_hixson"

Here are photos and the video from the labyrinth:

Peace on the adventurous journey, 

Rev. Deb

Rebuild

This morning I came outside for my coffee and some reading on the patio.  It's a cool morning.  I went to check on the spider and spider web that I've been watching all week. 

This big spider has made its home on the gate and has connected to the lamp post and the hummingbird feeder (and the side of the house).  The first time I saw the web (and the spider), I was surprised at how big they both were.  I have enjoyed watching the web grow and change over time.

taken September 24

We have been careful to not use the gate and/or to duck under the web when we do. There is one tenuous thread that holds it to the lamp post. 

This morning when I looked over to the web, what caught my attention was that it had moved.  'That's odd', I thought to myself.  So, I went closer to inspect it.  In doing so, my friend, the spider, quickly vacated his center of the web. 

As I observed the web, indeed, it was now much closer to the hummingbird feeder.  It is smaller.  It looks like the spider had to rebuild. 

We had some winds last night.  That could be why.  Or something could have flown into it, or maybe, it was just time to rebuild.  I don't know.

Whatever the reason, the spider rebuilt. But, the other thing I noticed was that there was still a center. 

Even though the web was moved over and rebuilt, it still had its center.

The spider could rebuild the web, whether it had to because of destruction, whether it needed to because of safety, or whether it wanted to.  For whatever reason it rebuilt, the web would be built around the center.

There are times in my life that I've had to rebuild.  Because of destruction, because of safety, because I wanted to, felt called to, etc.  The rebuilding has happened emotionally, spiritually, vocationally, relationally, and other. 

As I reflect on the rebuilding, just like the spider and the web, the center has remained the same.  The center of my life has been my relationship with the Creator., even when I haven't always been aware of that relationship (that's called prevenient grace.)  Because of that relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, I've been able to stay centered through the rebuilding.  Even when there was a shift in the paradigm, I am learning that the center has always been there. 

The center of my faith life is to live, love, and lead like Jesus.  I seek to follow the Way of Jesus: love God and love others as myself.

On an educational note, I wanted to know about this spider and web, so I did some research.  Because the "hub" is in the middle and the web looks like a "wagon wheel", it is most likely an orb spider.  Not all spider webs have a hub in the middle, but this one does and this is the one that caused my reflection today as I prayed with eyes open.

For a second link on spider research, you can go to the Smithsonian.

I am grateful for my spider friend and the web.  I have always liked spider webs because they remind me of community holding on to one another in support and prayer. 

Now I have something else to think about when I see spider webs.

Where are you in your journey?  Are you in a rebuilding stage of any kind? If so, look to your center.  May your center be the hub around which the new is rebuilt.

Blessings on your journey,

Debra