Friendship, Listening, and Empathy: A Prayer GuideDraw Near: A Lenten Devotional Two Hands: Grief and Gratitude in the Christian LifeSabbath Keeping: Finding Freedom in the Rhythms of Rest Fasting: Spiritual Freedom Beyond our AppetitesA Renewed SpiritualityNurturing Hope: Christian Pastoral Care in the Twenty-First CenturyThe Power of ListeningJoy Together: Spiritual Practices for Your CongregationPrayers of the New TestamentPrayers of the Old TestamentPersonality Type in CongregationsSabbathA Garden of Living Water: Stories of Self-Discovery and Spiritual GrowthDead Sea: A NovelDeadly Murmurs: A NovelDeath in Dunedin: A NovelBeating Burnout in CongregationsReaching Out in a Networked WorldEmbracing MidlifeFriendingAdvent Devotional

Spiritual diary of sheltering in place: The lifeline of God’s distant future

Lynne Baab • Wednesday May 27 2020

Spiritual diary of sheltering in place: The lifeline of God’s distant future

I have always loved the passages in the Bible where the whole creation is encouraged to praise God. Psalm 96:11-12 is one example:

“Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;         let the sea roar, and all that fills it;        let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy        before the LORD.”

If I were writing these words at this time, I would add something like “because you, beautiful creation, have become a lifeline for so many people during this pandemic. You reflect God’s creativity and beauty. You speak to us of timelessness and of...

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Spiritual diary of sheltering in place: a kite string as a lifeline

Lynne Baab • Wednesday May 20 2020

Spiritual diary of sheltering in place: a kite string as a lifeline

In a prayer letter about her ministry, a friend of mine described her angst as a teenager. Her sister knew that she wanted to be a teacher, but my friend wasn’t clear on what she wanted to be and do, and she felt shame that her ambitions weren’t clear to her. Toward the end of her college years, God spoke to her in a picture:

“First I saw an arrow and felt God say, ‘See, this is like your sister, keenly focused on a single target that she’ll hit right on the mark.’ Next, I saw a kite swaying in the wind...

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Spiritual diary of sheltering in place: The lifeline of welcoming prayer

Lynne Baab • Thursday May 14 2020

Spiritual diary of sheltering in place: The lifeline of welcoming prayer

I am a planner. The inability to plan is one of the frustrations of sheltering in place without a sense of when this will end. Last week a friend asked me what I would plan if I could. Definitely a trip to see our granddaughter. And definitely a painter to change the color on the walls of our living room and dining room while we are away. This trip and painting were planned for early April, and like so many people who had to change travel plans, I was really frustrated that two things I had planned didn’t happen.

Last week I...

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Spiritual diary of sheltering in place: The lifeline of separating thoughts from feelings

Lynne Baab • Thursday May 7 2020

Spiritual diary of sheltering in place: The lifeline of separating thoughts from feelings

In January, 2015, my husband Dave had a bout of bronchitis that he never really recovered from. By June, he had seen a lung specialist and gotten a diagnosis. By September, he had a different diagnosis and a horrific drug that he endured for three months. Afterwards, his energy was still low, his lungs still hurt, and he just plain didn’t feel well.

In early 2016, my spiritual director referred me to a therapist to help me cope with the roiling emotions and thoughts I was dealing with. I had lost the energetic, caring husband I’d known for almost 40 years. I...

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