Pondering – Page 5 – Mother Nancy's Coffee Thoughts

Wait for it

Today is Ascension Day in the church calendar, the day we celebrate the ascension of Jesus 40 days after Easter and 10 days before Pentecost. Over the next ten days we will transition from Eastertide to the season of Pentecost, the six-month long part of the church calendar we call Ordinary Time as we turnContinue reading “Wait for it”

Seeds of all Kinds

As we’ve journeyed through this Eastertide together, we’ve focused on what it is to BE resurrection people, not just recognizing that Jesus rose from the dead as a moment in time but celebrating and living in this new and glorious life we have because of Jesus. Jesus did what he did – feeding and healingContinue reading “Seeds of all Kinds”

Being and Doing, Part 2

Good morning, Y’all. How are you being this morning? I know that sound odd to our ears, but I really mean it. As we talk about being as the foundation of our doing, I really want to know how you are being, not as a test but out of genuine concern. Imagine the conversations weContinue reading “Being and Doing, Part 2”

Being and Doing

As we slowly transition out of the many life-preserving safety protocols necessary in a world-wide pandemic, I’m seeing a lot of self-help, check-list styled techniques to assist our transition. And I’m not even talking about non-church sources but among publications intended for clergy and church leadership. “7 ‘must haves’ before you reopen church”. “5 necessaryContinue reading “Being and Doing”

The Gift of Being

The first sermon I gave for a grade in Preaching class in seminary was on this passage from third chapter of Peter’s second letter. “Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as someContinue reading “The Gift of Being”

The Shape of our Day

Good Tuesday, Y’all! How’s your coffee? I used to teach time management seminars to corporate managers and executives. In the days before smart phones and tablets, I carried around the full sized 8 1/2” x 11” life planner briefcase as if it were my life source and I didn’t do anything that wasn’t written inContinue reading “The Shape of our Day”

Experiencing God’s Goodness

In Tuesday’s post, I ended with a question that I pray has been swimming around in your heart and brain: How have you experienced the goodness of God in your daily routine and schedule? If you haven’t been able to articulate how you have experienced God’s goodness, that’s ok. Can I ask you another question?Continue reading “Experiencing God’s Goodness”

What’s for Supper?

One of my family’s honored recipes is my grandmother’s meatloaf (and for all you anti-meatloafers out there, let me tell you this recipe would turn your meatloaf deprived world upside down, so please keep you negative meatloaf comments to yourself and focus on the point of this post which won’t be meatloaf). Several years ago,Continue reading “What’s for Supper?”

Witnesses to God’s Presence

Earlier this week I had a wonderful conversation with a friend about how we as clergy folks can help others learn to articulate their experiences with God. Our conversation focused on the expression of who we are as God’s beloved children rather than specific activities such as helping those in need (I use this phraseContinue reading “Witnesses to God’s Presence”

In the Waiting

“Do not worry about tomorrow.”
We like to see this teaching as a simple way to tell each other not to worry and in doing so, we miss the depth of these words. Both being anxious and being distracted by the future prevents us from experiencing God and each other fully.