We need some cupcakes with our coffee this morning, Y’all!

Exactly one year ago today, I posted the first articles on this blog! Now, granted, I’d been writing them for a year prior to that but today marks the anniversary of when this website, by God’s grace and my keyboarding skills, officially opened. I write simply because I cannot contain all the words inside of me but it’s always nice when someone is willing to read those words. Thank you for giving of your precious time to read what I write. I pray it has blessed you as that is the purpose of blessings: for the benefit of others. I pray the posts have been enough for all of us to see a bit more clearly into God’s Kingdom on earth as in heaven.

When someone says the word ‘enough’ what comes to your mind? Do you perceive the word as positive or negative?

We’ve been taught through our culture that enough is not good enough. We must have more and we must have the best and since we’ve also been taught that ‘best’ and ‘newest’ are synonymous, we are always in need of a new thing. We’ve taken God’s promise of abundant life and decided it means we will have an excess of all good things (meaning what we want) and nothing bad. When we get what we want, we claim that God has blessed us yet in doing so we imply that God is showing preferential treatment toward us. Blessings are given not because God loves one individual or group of people more than another; God bestows blessing SO THAT we will share with others and help everyone have enough.

I’ve learned a lot about enough this past year.

On September 30, 2020 I walked out of a parish that had chosen to dissolve our pastoral relationship because they told me to leave God out of their business and money and I could not do that. My husband and I had no idea what was next but we trusted God would provide.

On October 1, 2021 I began a new position with a new parish who invited me to be a part of their community because of a conversation we had about listening to where the Holy Spirit is guiding us to serve our community as we move into the new post-pandemic norm.

Exactly one year transpired between these two events and with each and every of the 365 days in between, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is God who provided all that we have needed: the right people to help me process and recover from the trauma of being betrayed and fired; the right people to help my husband deal with all that comes with being a priest’s spouse in such a time; sufficient funds to pay for rent, insurance, utilities, and groceries and even to do the occasional ‘ice cream date’ that we enjoy so much.

A full year of seasons, holidays, church seasons and celebrations, birthdays, anniversaries, births, deaths, and moves. God provided enough. God has blessed us beyond our imagination, not with material things but with growing wisdom, compassion, and grace SO THAT we are better equipped to live as Kingdom people and I pray we will steward these blessings appropriately as we, with God’s help and in community with the good people of our new parish, flavor the world with God’s love.

The abundant life of God’s Kingdom, lived here and now, day by day, is trusting that we will all have a sufficient supply of daily needs and that we all work together to participate with God, living the answer to the prayer, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.” We live in a way that works toward all people having enough. If I have more than enough and you don’t have what you need, my excess has no value.

The treasures of God’s Kingdom, love, compassion, grace, forgiveness, kindness, hope, and gratitude, increase the more we give them. We will never run out and we can’t hoard these things (because they aren’t things). As we follow Jesus we will have a never ending supply, abundance, enough.

I give thanks to God each day for all of you who are on this Kingdom Journey with me.

God’s peace, y’all!
Mother Nancy+