A couple of years ago my family suffered a devastating shock, one of those moments when the course of life changes on a dime. No warning, inexplicable- things will never be the same again. One of the most important things I learned from this time was that feeling anxious is a perfectly normal reaction to grief. The body and mind brace for “what might be next”, the next unexpected thing around the corner. Everything seems like something to fear.

Although it’s hard to put into words, the greatest love that was shown to me/my family during this time was offered by a couple close to us. While there was never going to be a “fix” for this situation, they showed up and sat shoulder to shoulder with me, prayed for me, and sat with me through many difficult moments. The act of physically surrounding me on either side meant so much- it felt like the only thing grounding me in this time of tremendous change when there really was no “normal” left for my family. I began to think of them as my “guardrails”- they kept me moving forward and safe on the road I was about to travel.

May we all remember that just showing up–without the right words to say or a solution–is proof of our love for each other. Standing shoulder to shoulder with someone suffering or anxious is a physical demonstration of emotional support, proof that we are not alone.

Lord, I ask that you quiet my mind during this time of prayer so that I can look back and give gratitude for those that stood with me during troubled times. Thank you for the gifts of friends and family who took time to be present despite their own struggles and challenges. Lord, help me to honor you and learn from their examples and be present for those that need me now and in the future. Amen.
-Lara Cole

“Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” -1 John 3:18

And here we go! On the surface, to love “in truth and action” seems clear enough. But whom are we to love in truth and action? And how? That’s when the monumental implications can strike us with dismay.

The admonition in 1 John follows Christ’s leading – “he laid down his life for us” – and then insists that we too are to love every day, every way, at all times. “How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?” (1 John 3:17)

When Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you,” he was pointedly reminding us of what was required in the Torah:

“For the poor will never cease out of the land, therefore I command you, You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in the land. (Deuteronomy 15:11)

We live in a broken world. And should we enjoy “the world’s goods,” we are called to act in love for those who do not. It’s not just about money. We all have something to give to meet the needs in our world. But which needs?

You probably are already doing charitable financial giving and are already working with others to restore the balance, to help lift those who need what you can offer. You cannot fix everything out there that needs fixing. But you cannot excuse yourself from the action of doing your part, either.

Refugees in Syria? Neighbors in Need in Skagit County? Wilderness protection? Research for solutions to diseases? Abandoned pets? Undocumented families in the U.S.? Political action to support the forgotten ones? Earthquake preparedness for your community? Volunteering in schools? Helping out at Friendship House? Habitat for Humanity? Places of refuge for the abused? Foodbank donations? And so much more! You can’t do everything. But you can follow your heart, and in so doing, restore the world.

We pray for God’s leading.
-Tom Worrell

“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” -1 John 3:1

The early Christian community split, divided, disagreed about how to be Christians.

The writer of I John appeals to the community to remember who they are, to remember how they are loved, to remember what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus. He exhorts them: “Look, see, how much God loves!”

I was raised to be a scientist. I majored in Bacteriology. A newlywed, I worked in a soil microbiology lab on the campus of NCSU in Raleigh. When I took a break for the birth of our daughter Marca, I intended to return to State to pursue a doctorate degree to teach and do research at the university. God had other ideas because that all changed as I tried to learn what it meant to be a parent and how human beings are formed. I became interested in the church library. My Girl Scouts at the school for the blind taught me about trust and love. Gradually, I realized I might be being called toward ordination.

My husband couldn’t imagine it. We both knew our lives would drastically change. I would ask him to consider taking just one more step in the exploration. All the way through, over a period of 7 years, he reluctantly agreed that we would take just one more step. Those steps led me to my final year of seminary at VTS in Alexandria, Virginia. I took the train home every 3 or 4 weeks. Don and the kids came up a few times. In March of that endless year, Don came up to visit. He stayed in the men’s dorm per seminary rules. One morning we shared coffee on the bench outside our dorms. Don blurted out, “ You can tell this is a Gosh Darn (actually the language may have been a little stronger) seminary. There’s no graffiti on the men’s room walls!” We burst out laughing. In that moment I understood the gift of sacrificial love. “For God so loved the world…” Don, the love of my life, put aside his plans, his hopes, his misgivings about the church and the role of women in the church, for me.

Gracious One, in whom we live and move and have our being, thank you for showing us how to trust your love, that we may be that love for others. Amen.
-Vicki Wesen

Come down, O Love divine,
Seek thou this soul of mine,
And visit it with thine own ardor glowing;
O Comforter, draw near,
Within my heart appear,
And kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn,
Till earthly passions turn
To dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
And let thy glorious light
Shine ever on my sight,
And clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

And so the yearning strong,
With which the soul will long,
Shall far outpass the power of human telling;
For none can guess its grace,
Till Love create a place
Wherein the Holy Spirit makes a dwelling.
-The Hymnal 1982, # 516

“…and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,[a] who loved me and gave himself for me.” -Galatians 2:20

Absolutely! I have felt God’s love profoundly over the past three years when several Christian friends have committed to checking on me every night (yes, every night) to make sure I climbed out of the tub safely. They wait for my text message at a certain time; if I don’t text, they try to text me; if they can’t reach me by text, someone from the group comes to my house & comes in to make sure I am OK. Thanks to Vicki, Helen, Arlene, & Cathey for showing Christ’s love.

Dear God, I profoundly thank you for your love expressed to me in the Christian friends who love me enough to make sure I am safe. Amen.
-Barb Cheyney

“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:35-39

I don’t feel much like a conqueror. I feel lucky if I’ve made it through the day without killing myself or someone else. I realize the Bible tells us nothing can separate us from the love of God, or the love of Christ, and I guess it’s true – or they wouldn’t have said it. Still, I know myself well enough I have to at least stop and ask the question: Is it true? Is it really true? And if it is, what should I do?

My go-to answer is simply this. I shall arise each morning and thank God for a new day. I shall do what needs doing throughout the day to the best of my ability, and when the day is done, I shall go to bed thanking God for the day now ended. I think if I focus more on giving thanks as the parentheses that encapsulate each day, God will take these virtual grammatical marks (…) and convert them into genuine hugs. That which God embraces will NOT come unhugged by any force we will ever face – and for that, I give thanks.

God, I know within my head that your love passes all understanding, and I know that whatever I may do or fail to do will not cause you to drop me like a hot rock from your cupped hands. You hold me tight. You always have and you always will. We have your word on it, and that’s really all we need. Thank you. Amen.
-Keith Axberg