A Prayer to the God of Ebb and Flow

Some time ago, in the midst of my nightly reading, I flagged a prayer, with the same title as this post, written by Henri Nouwen, as something that I absolutely needed to share with all of you.  And today is the day for it!  Here you are:

A Prayer to the God of Ebb and Flow

Dear Lord, today I thought of the words of Vincent van Gogh: "It is true there is an ebb and flow, but the sea remains the sea.  You are the sea.  Although I experience many ups and downs in my emotions and often feel great shifts and changes in my inner life, you remain the same.  Your sameness is not the sameness of a rock, but the sameness of a faithful lover.  Out of your love I came to life; by your love I am sustained; and to your love I am always called back.  There are days of sadness and days of joy; there are feelings of guilt and feelings of gratitude; there are moments of failure and moments of success; but all of them are embraced by your unwavering love.

My only real temptation is to doubt in your love, to think of myself as beyond the reach of your love, to remove myself from the healing radiance of your love.  To do these things is to move into the darkness of despair.

O Lord, sea of love and goodness, let me not fear too much the storms and winds of my daily life, and let me know that there is an ebb and flow but that the sea remains the sea.  Amen.
(Seeds of Hope, pg. 88)

Daily 5 - Year 3, Day 8

Today's Daily 5:

1. Sitting in the sun at a bus stop, reading
2. finding a great deal on a hot yoga towel ($20, instead of the $65 that Lulu Lemon charges)
3. Taking a hot flow yoga class this afternoon that kicked my butt (in a good way)
4. a salad with blue cheese, chicken, pecans, dried cranberries, and other tasty bits
5. finishing off my evening curled up with a book and a Kit Kat bar

Whimsical Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Here's the latest Whimsical Wednesday collection!  I'd love to hear which image caught your attention the most, and why, in the comments!

Source: flickr.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: sunsurfer.tumblr.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: sannahkvist.se via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: vintagerosebrocante.tumblr.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: None via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: google.ca via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: cafepress.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: ffffound.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Daily 5 - Year 3, Day 7

Today's Daily 5:

1. Wearing several new pieces of comfortable (and cute!) clothing
2. the smell of freshly cut sweet peas in a vase
3. listening to podcasts while gardening (in this case Chuck Colson and his daughter Emily Colson, speaking at Willow Creek church about her autistic son, while picking green beans)
4. green beans and chicken
5. audio books
6. empathetic friends
7. a very productive evening at home
8. cell phone games
9. colored pens
10. fuzzy peach slices to eat while reading (love me some candy)

You Ask, I Answer, Take 19

Today's You Ask, I Answer question comes from Johanna again.  She asked:

If you could write a book, what kind of book would it be?

This is a question that makes me smile.  I dream of writing a book, and I actually plan to one day, even if it's only for me.

Most likely I'd write a book of essays and stories from real life.  A memoir/essay style combination.  Maybe throw in some poetry or photographs or song lyrics that have spoken deeply to me.  These are the kinds of books that I love to read, and it's most likely what I'd write.  A story of God's work in the day to day moments of life, of God's sense of humor, of the moments in which I've come to know Him, and that ways that knowing Him has changed my life.

My favorite books are the ones that somehow meld story and truth, so that you don't feel preached at, and yet, you find, when you set the book aside, that your life has been changed and shaped because you read it, because of the truths it contains.  That's the kind of book that I'd love to write someday.