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The Dark Before the Dawn
Melancholy The Art Institute of Chicago Odilon Redon, 1876 The past year has not been easy by any stretch of the imagination. And so, we arrive at yet another Holy Saturday from within our own tombs. And for so many, we are even deeper in than last year. Grief, illness, despair, conflict, loneliness, isolation, loss,…
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Maundy Thursday
© Susan Dorothea White The First Supper, 1988 I was given John 13 to read at our service for Maundy Thursday. “Oh, yup – that one, I got it.” I set it aside. Days later in a tough moment, I randomly opened my Bible for a quick word as I sometimes do, and as it…
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Storms and Hope
During one of our game drives in the Maasai Mara Preserve in Kenya, the bright blue sky turned dark, and thunderous slate gray clouds gathered on the horizon while the wind howled through the grassy plains on either side of us. A storm was imminent. Our Maasai guide asked if we would like to try…
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Song of Comfort
“The Swan” from Saint-Saëns’s The Carnival of the Animals…
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The Whole Picture
I wonder if you might notice anything a little strange about this image? I was in my newly-discovered neighborhood woods on my birthday in January, when I happened on this scene. I was struck by the vibrancy of the seemingly dead surroundings, the deep blue of the pond, the way it mirrored the woods surrounding…
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The Mission/How Great Though Art
On this Sunday, I share a beautiful combination of two favorites…and different versions. Today, there is much to pray for and I ask you to pray as you listen to music from the late Ennio Morricone, who passed away in July of 2020. Shared by Marcie Doll
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A few African Sunsets for Day 3
A Sunset in Zanzibar “Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.” Samuel Smiles Two sunsets from The Mara Narok, Kenya These photos were shared by Patricia Wu from her ongoing journey to Africa.
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A Three Day Journey to Africa
Today, we start a three-day journey with one of our leadership team members, Patricia Wu. She is currently traveling through several countries in Africa and shared some stories, pictures, and video for us to center our Lenten journey on nature. Nature has always been a source of inspiration, wonder and wisdom for me. On a…
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Lucky for me…
Susan Ceely Phillips