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Sabbath Devotional :: Because They Are Ours
Sunflowers are my favorite flower. This is the first sunflower I have ever planted, and it came up a few weeks ago in my curbside garden. It was supposed to be rust colored and fuller. It was not supposed to look like this is all, but it does not matter, I love it because it is mine. About the time this sunflower came up, my husband and I became empty nesters for the first time in 27 years. Our adult children have bounced in and out of our upstairs apartment, together or separately, as they have dealt with the pandemic, finances, mental illness, difficult losses, and physical illness. Right now,…
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Sabbath Devotional :: SONday
I have a complicated relationship with the sun. We love sun symbolism in the gospel. The celestial kingdom, our highest goal, is always drawn with a sun. Nauvoo sunstones are prized. I love sunrises, sunsets, light and all its symbolism. But as a middle-aged redhead reckoning with the legacy of California childhood sunburns, I am a heliophobe. I seek shade at all costs with my SPF 100+, hat, and long sleeves. My annual dermatology visits are stressful, since each time they burn or freeze or cut or biopsy different parts of my skin. There is sunshine in my soul today, but singing that chorus repeatedly does not make me want…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Poetry by Lucille Clifton
I am in the throes of school assignments all weekend and in spite of my best efforts as always down to the wire writing my Sabbath devotional! Forgive me for keeping it short and sweet and borrowing the words of another. I want to share two Lucille Clifton poems, of many that I love written by her. Poetry is one of my favorite genres to read and I find poetry is a wonderful complement to my spiritual study — the space between the words leaves room to think deeply. Both poems below by Lucille Clifton my dream about God He is wearing my grandfather’s hat.He is taller than my last…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Martha and Mom
It’s my mom’s birthday this week. Will you indulge me for a minute while I talk about her? I have a large extended family, and we love to spend time together. When our children were very young, after family dinners, my sisters and I retired to the adjacent family room to form what my uncle dubbed the lactation station. While we were feeding our youngest children, our husbands would chase the toddlers. We would have wonderful, lively conversations full of fun that sometimes shifted to deep, heartfelt discussions. While we were enjoying ourselves, my mom and dad were busy in the kitchen. Dad never leaves the kitchen until the dishes…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Holy Imaginings
Before the end of this month, I am going to be deposed. It’s my first ever deposition, and I’m feeling incredulous. I’ve never even had a speeding ticket! I volunteer! How did a nice girl like me get into a mess like this? My husband and I are suing government workers for neglecting to obtain a warrant before seizing our children after a false child abuse accusation. The experience was, as you can imagine, very traumatic, and since my own family was reunited I’ve spent many hours on the phone with other parents trying to figure out how to get their babies back, too. This is a cause I care…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Hope on the Border
“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.” –Jeremiah 17:7 In what was once a nightclub in downtown McAllen, Texas, a Catholic sister unapologetically lives out her religion. Every day, the Catholic Charities Rio Grande Valley Humanitarian Respite Center takes in scores of migrants who have been screened by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). Sister Norma Pimentel and her team provide floor mats for sleeping, donated clothing, diapers, over-the-counter medicine, a shower, warm meals, and help arranging transportation before they head out on the next leg of their journey, usually within a day or two. The shelter, with its blacked-out windows and…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Spiritual Memory
For this Sabbath devotional, I wanted to share these verses I have been reading and pondering on this week and a few thoughts related to them: Alma 37 6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. 7 And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls. 8 And now, it has hitherto been…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Faster, Higher, Stronger — Together in Christ
With global eyes on the Olympics this week, and the announcement that the Church has been officially welcomed into Azerbaijan, I have been thinking about Jesus’ great commission to send the gospel into all the world, and our own efforts to run the race of life. Throughout history, humans have arbitrarily created geopolitical borders and divided our DNA into ethnicities, races, and tribes. We also make up rules about games and physical achievements. These distinctions often divide us. Yet seeing world athletes float down the Seine and cheer each other on through competition makes it feel like we’re a small world after all. The gospel message is likewise for everyone,…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Prayer
As I was tucking my youngest into bed the last week, she quietly asked me if I believe in prayer. Something so tender and gentle about her question has stayed in my heart. I have been thinking about prayer in my own life. At times, admittedly, my prayers have been perfunctory. But I have also experienced prayer as a source of power and miracles. There have been times of prayerful heartache and distress. And other times of rejoicing in gratitude. I now believe that prayer is a means to develop a relationship with my Father in Heaven. I have felt His love and personal concern for me. And I am…
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Sabbath Devotional :: A Christian Paradox: on Jesus and Economics
I’ve been thinking about the Zoramites, which has me thinking of Jesus and economics. Christ took upon himself our sins, sorrows, and suffering so that he could succor us. This is supposed to be a source of consolation and relief. But alas! Not long before fulfilling all righteousness, Christ tasked us with the immense responsibility of caring for his people — specifically the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned, because Christ has made himself in their image. Christ’s injunction to care for the least of these puts into our laps the whole told and untold suffering of the world. And that is a mighty…
