tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14853457812065489702024-02-20T03:38:33.254-06:00one faithful stepA Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-84037341981434869162010-04-03T15:21:00.004-05:002014-07-30T15:41:41.088-05:00Lent, Day 45: Day of Preparation.<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Today's reading: </span></i><i><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2015:42-47&version=ESV"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mark 15:42-47</span></a></i><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Forty-four days ago, on the first day of the Lenten season, we began this journey with John the Baptist and found ourselves, with him, "</span><a href="http://onefaithfulstep.blogspot.com/2010/02/lent-day-1-preparing-way.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">preparing the way</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">" of the Lord. On that day I wrote about our call to preparation for the Lenten journey; a call not to concern ourselves with outcomes but to be about the business of making ready. I offered this prayer--and I offer it again today:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">God, help us in this season to accept the call to preparation, even when we may never see a culmination of the effort. Give us clarity about what it is that we are preparing for. Grant us courage in the face of finality, when we're forced to let things go. Keep the Easter hope alive in us; remind us always of your power over death.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Today we stand by a sealed tomb, with broken hearts, but with a sense of nervous anticipation--practically holding our breaths, confident that something is yet to happen. We've watched the end of the story, seen the body removed from the cross and the stone rolled into place, but we hold out hope that it was not an end at all. We trust it is, instead, a "To be continued..." And so here we are, once again, on a new Day of Preparation. Not a foreword or an introduction, but still readying ourselves for a journey unlike any we have known.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is a journey back into life.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Are we prepared for what new life means?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We can't pretend death doesn't happen--because it must, so that there can be a life that is abundant even beyond the grave.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We can't pretend the old days don't matter--because a new existence is built on the promises and precepts of the past.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We can't pretend we're not afraid--because only when we commit ourselves in faith can we finally lay our fears at his feet.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And we simply cannot pretend that letting go is easy--because only through the pain, through the loneliness, through the tears, through the silence of the tomb, can God break through again and again to show us what it really means to live.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Let us pray:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">God, help us on this day of preparation once again to make ready the way of the Lord: a new way, a new life. Prepare our hearts for resurrection--to be raised with your beloved Son to walk with him, offering a wounded world hope that death no longer has the last word. As we wait for the dawn to break on a new sabbath, prepare us for wonder. Prepare us for celebration. Prepare us to see you again.</span></span></span></div>A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-10177732793432861002010-04-03T00:43:00.002-05:002014-07-30T16:09:43.363-05:00Lent, Day 45: A breath prayer for Holy Saturday.Breathing in: <i>The stone is in place...</i><br />
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Breathing out: <i>...empty, we wait.</i></div>
A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-51060947450037393872010-04-02T18:42:00.007-05:002014-07-30T15:41:41.072-05:00Lent, Day 44: What is good.<i>Today's reading: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2015:1-41&version=ESV">Mark 15:1-41</a></i><div><i><br /></i></div><div>it's good to know who you are</div><div>especially when you carry</div><div>the rights and responsibilities</div><div>of a King</div><div><br /></div><div>it's good to know the truth</div><div>about motives</div><div>and motivations:</div><div>not all accusers are victims</div><div>not all mobs are righteous</div><div><br /></div><div>it's good to know that help is near</div><div>when the cross is simply</div><div>too much to bear</div><div><br /></div><div>it's good to know what your faith is in</div><div>("just to be clear:</div><div>no miraculous feeding, healing, life-restoring</div><div>could convince us--but</div><div>let him save himself,</div><div><i>haha</i></div><div>yes, <i>then</i> we would believe")</div><div><br /></div><div>it's good to know you're not alone</div><div>even when</div><div>you are alone</div><div><br /></div><div>it's good to know it's not too late</div><div>to profess belief</div><div>to cry out in confession</div><div>to acknowledge a terrible wrong</div><div>to recognize</div><div>the Son of God</div>A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-65851963597315755942010-04-02T10:54:00.003-05:002014-07-30T16:10:25.204-05:00Lent, Day 44: A breath prayer for Good Friday.Breathing in: <i>By his wounds we are healed...</i><div>Breathing out: <i>... it is finished.</i></div>A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-29784333336479603262010-04-01T20:45:00.004-05:002014-07-30T15:41:41.065-05:00Lent, Day 43: Body.<i>Today's reading: </i><i><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2014&version=ESV">Mark 14</a></i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>"Take it; this is my body." (v. 22)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>the smell</div><div>of perfume permeates the house</div><div>(causing some to mutter</div><div>"how dare she!" and maybe even</div><div>"how dare <i>he</i>!")--</div><div>the scent of sorrow</div><div>lingers after the oil</div><div>has dried</div><div><br /></div><div>the taste</div><div>of bread--unleavened,</div><div>to remind them of God's faithfulness</div><div>(even now);</div><div>the taste of wine--</div><div>the cup of life,</div><div>poured out and poured out</div><div>and poured out, and</div><div>abundant</div><div>even now</div><div><br /></div><div>the sight</div><div>of an onlooker</div><div>running naked</div><div>away</div><div>(the sight of shame?</div><div>of humility?</div><div>of vulnerability?</div><div>the sight of</div><div>escape?)</div><div><br /></div><div>the touch</div><div>of a kiss.</div><div>of a sword.</div><div>of a warming fire.</div><div>of spit.</div><div>of fists.</div><div><br /></div><div>the sound</div><div>of a rooster's waking crow.</div><div>the sound</div><div>of weeping</div><div>in the breaking dawn.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>this is my body. take it.</i></div>A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-33744713896013071922010-03-31T23:30:00.001-05:002014-07-30T16:10:25.183-05:00Lent, Day 43: A breath prayer for Maundy Thursday.Breathing in: <i>You give us your body...</i><div>Breathing out: ...<i>we pour out all our hopes on you.</i></div>A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-66555113120265076652010-03-31T16:29:00.004-05:002014-07-30T16:10:25.208-05:00Lent, Day 42: Come near. (A prayer.)<i>Today's reading:</i><i><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2012:28-13:37&version=ESV"> Mark 12:28-13:37</a></i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (v. 31)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Your kingdom is near, O God,</i></div><div><i>so near we can</i></div><div><i>feel its breath</i></div><div><i>(just as generations</i></div><div><i>before have felt it).</i></div><div><i>Scattered to the winds,</i></div><div><i>we await your call,</i></div><div><i>anxious to be gathered close</i></div><div><i>and escorted deeper into</i></div><div><i>the eternity</i></div><div><i>you have already begun.</i></div><div><i>We, whose every love and</i></div><div><i>every richness</i></div><div><i>comes from you,</i></div><div><i>are watching:</i></div><div><i>we are here.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>We anticipate your coming</i></div><div><i>not with fear, but in faith,</i></div><div><i>knowing that you who conquer death</i></div><div><i>are not interested in</i></div><div><i>pointless destruction</i></div><div><i>but in</i></div><div><i>loving redemption.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>With gratitude we remember</i></div><div><i>(every day of this difficult walk</i></div><div><i>we know Friday must come</i></div><div><i>must always come, so</i></div><div><i>we keep reminding ourselves)</i></div><div><i>what you have done</i></div><div><i>and what you always do:</i></div><div><i>You love.</i></div><div><i>You live.</i></div><div><i>You call.</i></div><div><i>You breathe.</i></div><div><i>You speak.</i></div><div><i>You never end. </i></div>A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-80873158560787824002010-03-31T09:06:00.002-05:002014-07-30T16:10:25.220-05:00Lent, Day 42: A breath prayer for Holy Wednesday.Breathing in:<i> Gather us in to your self...</i><div>Breathing out: <i>...from the ends of the world, we watch.</i></div>A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-21101244713484810062010-03-30T15:47:00.007-05:002014-07-30T15:41:41.062-05:00Lent, Day 41: Authority.<i>Today's reading: </i><i><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2011:27-12:27&version=ESV">Mark 11:27-12:27</a></i><div><i><br /></i></div><div>For these couple of days, daily readings in large chunks will help us be on track for the stories of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. The teachings of Jesus in Jerusalem seem to be a sort of last-ditch effort on his part, to enlighten the religious elite, to reassure the faithful, and to prophecy of the coming promised Kingdom. By the time Jesus is arrested, those listening--whether willingly or menacingly--have been instructed, encouraged, and warned.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today's reading incorporates a straightforward question of Jesus' authority, a relatively obvious parable about the murderous behavior of the tenants left in charge (obvious enough that the real-life subjects were furious about it!), the issue of taxes and earthly authority, and even the question of marriage in the afterlife. Grouping them into a single reflection feels a bit like a preschool puzzle: what do these things have in common?</div><div><br /></div><div>They have God in common. God, the ultimate Teacher, who does not condescend to the human demand for proofs and resumes. The Vineyard Owner, whose servants have been mistreated and whose Heir will be killed. The Source of Power, who has no need of Caesar's riches or Caesar's earth-bound might. The Author of relationships, the God of eternal Love, and always the I AM of the living... in fact, the Maker of life.</div><div><br /></div><div>They have in common the one true Authority: Teacher, Owner, Source, Author, Maker, I AM.</div><div><br /></div><div>As Jesus walks his last days in the holy city, let us be faithful students, learning well the lessons of honor he teaches. Let us be responsible citizens of the coming Kingdom, encouraged that we need not confuse worldly powers with the eternal. And let us be watchful seekers, heeding his warnings that preparedness is vital. God's day is coming: when all teachings will be made clear, when the rejected Cornerstone will be exalted, when Love itself will live.</div>A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-45788791529079315402010-03-30T10:00:00.002-05:002014-07-30T16:08:08.288-05:00Lent, Day 41: A breath prayer for Holy Tuesday.Breathing in: <i>Your kingdom comes near...</i><br />
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Breathing out: <i>...I give all my love.</i></div>
A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-24766490363712599692010-03-29T17:11:00.004-05:002014-07-30T15:42:37.346-05:00Lent, Day 40: Teaching.<i>Today's reading: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2011:12-26&version=ESV">Mark 11:12-26</a></i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2011:12-26&version=ESV"></a><i>And he taught them... and the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. (vv. 17a, 18b)<br /></i><div><i><br /></i></div><div>little did we know</div><div>when he came</div><div>hungry to the fruitless fig tree</div><div>he'd be teaching us</div><div>a lesson about</div><div>the power of his words</div><div><br /></div><div>little did we know</div><div>when he came</div><div>furious to the once-holy temple</div><div>upending the thieves' tables</div><div>he'd be teaching us</div><div>a lesson about</div><div>the house of prayer</div><div><br /></div><div>little did we know</div><div>when he came</div><div>boldly to the mountainous city</div><div>with a heartful of faith</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>(leading us</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>with a word, a prayer, a touch,</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>pointing us in the direction of</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>a hill we'd all have to face)</div><div>he'd be teaching us</div><div>a lesson about</div><div>love</div><div><i><br /></i></div></div>A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-4722091735445190612010-03-29T09:48:00.005-05:002014-07-30T16:10:25.196-05:00Lent, Day 40: A breath prayer for Holy Monday.<i>Fill me with a faith to move mountains...</i><br />
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<i>... flow from me in forgiving love.</i></div>
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I've been trying to think about a way to incorporate a personal worship element into this Holy Week's devotionals... for those of you whose churches may not have a Holy Week tradition, as well as for myself. With our kids at these ages, it is difficult for us to attend weekday or nighttime services, so for now we are "on our own" to mark the days of this set-apart week.</div>
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Once I realized it was perhaps (!!!) unrealistic to think of designing full-on home-and-family worship services on the spur of the moment, I decided instead to offer a breath prayer for each day until Easter. I'll send out the breath prayer every morning, so hopefully you (and I) will be able to have it in mind throughout the day. The regular reflection will come, as usual, later in the afternoon or evening. These breath prayers, like the reflection, will be inspired by the day's scripture reading.</div>
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If you're unfamiliar with the practice of breath prayers, they are brief--two line--prayers or meditations... brief words to help turn our thoughts toward God. You can use them anytime, anywhere; you can breathe the prayer once, or slowly and repetitively. As you take a breath in, simply say the first line of the prayer in your mind and heart; as you breathe out, say the second line. Typically breath prayers are formatted so that the "in" line is a prayer for filling, entering, nourishing, and the "out" line is a prayer of giving, letting go, release. You can jot the words down and carry them along with you in a physical way, as well as in a spiritual way, throughout this day.</div>
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I hope these brief prayers will help you to slow down and truly participate in this Holy Week.</div>
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Blessings to you.</div>
A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-35241311734612200602010-03-28T20:41:00.005-05:002014-07-30T15:42:37.362-05:00Lent, Day 39: Hosannahs and homesickness.<i>Today's reading: </i><i><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2011:1-11&version=ESV">Mark 11:1-11</a></i><div><i><br /></i></div><div>This morning, during the Palm Sunday service at church, I felt overcome by homesickness.</div><div><br /></div><div>When I mentioned it during our traditional Sunday Morning Car Ride Debrief on the way home, I realized that I have a rather strange reality that comes from these many years of moving around and having had so many homes... that is, different occasions induce in me feelings of homesickness <i>for different places.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>As I think about the strangeness of that, I wonder if maybe it's an appropriate feeling for this day, when perhaps Jesus himself was experiencing a bit of the same thing. On this entrance into Jerusalem, on a visit that he knew would be his last, and during the tradition-enriched Passover festival, I wonder if he was thinking about all his many homes: his birthplace in Bethlehem, his safe haven in Egypt, his childhood in Galilee, the hospitable homes where he was made welcome in his traveling life. Even the temple, his Father's house. All these homes, where he'd celebrated the Passover, where he'd blessed dinners and held babies and healed and taught and laughed and cried; all these, he knew he'd never see again on earth.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe he was even a bit homesick for his Heavenly home... the one he surely knew was awaiting his return.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Blessed is the One who comes--who rides on a humble colt into the turmoil of humanity.</div><div><br /></div><div>Blessed is the One who comes--who enters our cities, our neighborhoods, our homes.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Blessed is the One who comes--who steps over the threshold and into the living spaces of our lives. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hosannah! Come, and save us!</div>A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-49919382199335625232010-03-27T15:11:00.004-05:002014-07-30T16:10:25.200-05:00Lent, Day 38: Being heard. (A prayer.)<em>Today's reading: </em><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2010:46-52&version=ESV"><em>Mark 10:46-52</em></a><br />
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<em>Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
when the crowds try to silence me,<br />
and when I let them,<br />
<em>Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.</em><br />
<br />
when I fear that you have passed me by<br />
because I am not good enough for you<br />
<em>Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.</em><br />
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when, in my blindness, I fail to see where you are walking,<br />
and when I fail to follow<br />
<em>Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
when I only use my voice to criticize,<br />
to complain, to argue, to judge, to spout off,<br />
<em>Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
when I am afraid to ask you<br />
for what I want<br />
and<br />
when I've convinced myself that my luxuries<br />
are really needs<br />
<em>Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
Jesus, Son of David, I want to see.<br />
I want to follow you along the way.<br />
I want to use the gift of speech to pray:<br />
<em>Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.</em>A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-16696895159848945952010-03-26T16:19:00.002-05:002014-07-30T15:42:37.335-05:00Lent, Day 37: Being great.<em>Today's reading: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2010:35-45&version=ESV">Mark 10:35-45</a></em><br /><br />Even those closest to Him failed to understand; it's no wonder we have trouble getting it.<br /><br />It's not just our businesses, our homes, our churches, our schools and communities, our country... on every level, from the family to the nation, the desire for power is human nature. Living together in societies seems to demand structure, leaders and followers, planners and do-ers, and all of us find ourselves somewhere in the ladder of authority. There are people in power over us, and others over whom we have authority. Success, inevitably, becomes defined by our ability to move upward on that ladder. We admire those who show ambition, the desire and the drive to keep moving up and up.<br /><br />All of which makes me think, if we had to choose one single teaching of Jesus that must be The Most Difficult Challenge For Our Human Culture, it must be this one. It is contrary to everything we have been taught about this earthly life (and The American Dream)... where climbing the ladder and becoming the greatest is equated with financial success, personal value, and even national pride (how often do we repeat the conventional wisdom that we live in "the greatest country in the world"?).<br /><br />My emotional response to this text is, even as I type this, bouncing back and forth between "relief" and "embarrassment." Relief that Jesus is resetting the balance of our efforts, reorienting us to God's standards of success, allowing us to get off the ladder. Relief that the true value of humans is, simply, as humans... not as acheivers, or earners, or winners, or owners. Relief that I can stop trying to stretch ever higher, and instead kneel down.<br /><br />But... also, embarrassment. A lot of embarrassment. It's embarrassing that our nation can be divided so violently over who is in or out of power; we can't even find ways to work together, much less serve one another. It's even more embarrassing, though, that our churches and denominations have fallen prey to the same drama. And it's embarrassing that every day I forget it, myself, in my own home and with the people I love the best.<br /><br />I bet James and John were embarrassed, too, when they realized their mistake. They'd forgotten already how it was, there with the people they loved, and who loved them, the best.<br /><br />May we daily be reminded that it is not too late for our lives, our homes, our churches, our community to be modeled after the one who came "not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." May we choose to step off the ladder, to let go of our striving notions of success, and to stop reassuring ourselves that being the greatest is important (when, in truth, being the greatest is at best irrelevant, and at worst delusional). May we begin to esteem ourselves and others not by the quantity of our power, but by the quality and the action of our love.A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-45787507609825554472010-03-25T20:58:00.004-05:002014-07-30T15:42:37.375-05:00Lent, Day 36: Being a child.<em>Today's reading: </em><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2010:13-16&version=ESV"><em>Mark 10:13-16</em></a><br /><br /><em>(Apologies for the out-of-order scripture! I was wondering why there are more days left in this week than there are passages left in chapter 10; turns out I was in such a hurry to get to the Rich Young Man that I totally neglected the Little Children. Seems ironic. Anyway, I'll be back on track tomorrow!)</em><br /><br />This is what it is to be a child of God:<br /><br />It is to be carried in the arms of your parents to the lap of Jesus.<br /><br />It is to be covered with the grime of daily life; to have frogs in your pockets, to be blowing a bubble, to be grass-stained and lollipop-sticky.<br /><br />It is to have his hand placed on your head, to let him rumple your hair or wipe dirt off your cheek. It is to receive his touch.<br /><br />It is to hear his blessing spoken over you. It is to hear your name on his lips.<br /><br />And it is to be rebuked by those who expect you to be "seen and not heard."<br /><br />But it is to be welcomed, in spite of the naysayers. It is to be unhindered: to jump to the front of the line, to have the crowds stand aside for you. It is to see his arms spread wide open, beckoning you, making space for you.<br /><br />It is to bring your simple self, with no pretense--fumbling, learning, trying again and again to get it right, playing, falling down and getting back up, coloring outside the lines, growing up without even realizing it.<br /><br />And it is to be given the keys to the Kingdom.<br /><br /><em>God,</em><br /><em>thank you</em><br /><em>for always making room,</em><br /><em>and</em><br /><em>for accepting the children</em><br /><em>that we are.</em>A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-73130032284630019472010-03-24T22:58:00.004-05:002014-07-30T15:42:37.408-05:00Lent, Day 35: Being aware.<em>Today's reading: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2010:32-34&version=ESV">Mark 10:32-34</a></em><br /><em></em><br />They were on the road to Jerusalem--as, in a way, are we.<br /><br />Over these 2000+ years of church history, this springtime journey toward Easter has become "Lent," a familiar observance to many Christian traditions, while more or less unknown to others (including the one in which I was raised). Many churches plan special Lenten services throughout the season, and gather several times during Holy Week--the week between Palm Sunday and Easter--as a way to walk mindfully toward the cross and toward the empty tomb, following the steps and stops of Jesus and his disciples. Next week, I hope to incorporate into my Holy Week blogging some specific suggestions for a personal observance of the Easter journey.<br /><br />There's a temptation, no doubt, to skip over to the "good parts version" of Easter: Jesus's reconciling action on the cross, and the miracle of resurrection... the crux (literally) of the story. We may be inclined to "sing the wondrous story," and we surely will--but we must first walk the way. We must first be actively aware of the whole story, and take our part in it.<br /><br />Jesus is leading the way to Jerusalem, followed by his awestruck apostles, and a parade of fearful followers. I can understand the apostles' astonishment, but why were the following crowds <em>afraid</em>?<em> </em>They're on a pilgrimmage they don't, can't, understand; they know he feeds, and heals, and teaches, and restores life... but they also know he has offended the authorities and broken numerous long-standing laws. They may not have been given the cheat sheet for what was to happen, but they know that something's got to give. And he knows it too.<br /><br />He has told his closest disciples this story before, but now that they have truly set their course for Jerusalem, he gathers them close once again and tells them, in clear and concise terms, where this path is taking them. They can't skip to the good parts. It is going to be painful, and they have to be there for it. It is going to bring out their best and their worst--their very most human selves. And that's necessary, because it's those most human selves--and ours--that are redeemed by Jesus' victory over death.<br /><br />It's important that we, too, follow Jesus on the way to Jerusalem. We can't skip to the good parts--because the <em>whole story </em>is gospel, the "good news." The teachings, the healings, the restorations, the dissent and the holy law-breaking, the feeding hungry bellies... all good news. The hosannahs of Palm Sunday. The anointing, the washing of feet, the supper. The soldiers. The temple veil. The centurion. The stone. The sunrise.<br /><br />All great good news.<br /><br />So as we join the crowd following the Messiah on this last journey, let us express our astonishment, and let us lay our fears at his feet. Let us hear again the wondrous story--the whole story--that is his calling and our salvation. Let us be aware of each faithful step we take with Christ, so we can truly celebrate the Easter miracle: that with him, we too are raised, to walk together in newness of life.A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-80037161448864031912010-03-23T21:44:00.005-05:002014-07-30T15:42:37.425-05:00Lent, Day 34: Being free.<em>Today's reading: </em><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2010:17-31&version=ESV"><em>Mark 10:17-31</em></a><br /><br />My first instinct was to title this reflection "being empty," because my first impression was that that's what Jesus was requesting of the rich young man: that he empty his pockets, and thereby empty out himself, in order to follow the Lord.<br /><br />But it seems we often latch on to the negative idea of things, rather than looking a bit harder to find the positive... not just what "feels bad" versus what "feels good," but what is removed rather than what is restored. We seem more comfortable, sometimes, with coping with what is taken away than with graciously accepting what is added. Perhaps it's because what is added is often not quantifiable, or perhaps it's simply because we've been taught that sacrifice is sacred.<br /><br />So I asked myself, what is the point of this encounter, between Jesus and a young man whose cash value trumped his desire for discipleship? Is the point emptiness--the removal? Is it charity--the giving? Or is it freedom--the gift of freedom from all the things that would hold us back from following whole-heartedly? Once again, Jesus turns expectations upside-down: a young man, from the right background, with the right beliefs, who has checked all the necessary boxes, who seems a shoe-in for religious inclusion, is shown to be enslaved to the one thing he holds most dear: $$$.<br /><br />(Okay, I know, they didn't use $dollars$ back then!!! What should I have said: "the almighty sheckel"? LOL)<br /><br />This is a tremendously difficult text for most of us to hear, in a contemporary society where we are generally in no danger of losing all we have--much less, of being asked to give it away willingly. We have the luxury of reading this passage with a long lens; we can speculate on it theologically, we can hypothesize and opinionate about issues of wealth, care for the poor, family relationships, independence, walking away, and walking alongside Jesus. Then we can go to our warm, safe homes, and eat cozy dinners, and hug our spouses, our children, our parents, our friends. And this is what our culture teaches us is "freedom": freedom is holding tight to what we have earned and what we deserve; freedom is having choices, including the choice to give; freedom is belonging. Likely that rich young man thought he was free: he had his full billfold, his choices, his class.<br /><br />In this freedom-loving society, are we willing to consider that maybe our definition of freedom has been overly influenced by the almighty sheckel? The freedom Jesus offers to the rich young man has no connection to the coins in his pocket; instead, Jesus offers the freedom of emptiness, of releasing the possessive grasp, of letting go. The freedom of traveling light.<br /><br /><em>God, forgive me for all the times I try to mold your gospel like clay, to fit tidily inside my own values and priorities. Help me to be truly free to follow you: help me to release my grasping fists, to let go of the things that promise only fleeting security. Help me to find my belonging on the path to your kingdom.</em>A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-1445262818730551532010-03-22T21:57:00.005-05:002014-07-30T15:42:37.330-05:00Lent, Day 33: Being joined.<em>Today's reading: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2010:1-12&version=ESV">Mark 10:1-12</a></em><br /><em></em><br />In this week leading up to Palm Sunday, the focus is on the tenth chapter of Mark (conveniently divided into six tidy sections); it's a chapter that incorporates teachings, callings, encounters, prophecy, healings, gentle rebukes. To be honest I've been puzzling all day over how to write about today's passage, a text about (as some obviously pessimistic editors have titled it) Divorce. (I'd prefer to think of it as a text about marriage--after all, it includes Jesus' lovely sentiment about "the two become one flesh.") Without hours of study, research, commentary-reading, and especially prayer, I'm not sure how to get into such a complicated topic that touches so many lives today (as, apparently, it also did then). I have friends whose lives have been torn apart by divorce; others who chose it amicably; and we also know of couples whose divorces seem an unfortunate but obvious outcome of hasty, ill-conceived, immature marriages.<br /><br />So as I've been thinking about today's reflection, I realized that perhaps it is worthwhile to take a step back and look at the "big picture" of Mark 10... maybe there is a theme throughout the chapter that can give me a starting place for considering this specific text. On the way to Jerusalem, looking toward the triumphal entry next Sunday, do the teachings of chapter 10 build a foundation for what is to come?<br /><br />I think so. In each of the stories of chapter 10, Jesus is taking societal expectations and turning them upside-down... trying to show, over and over again, how God's expectations are different. How God's expectations are <em>real</em>.<br /><br />In this case, God's expectations are <em>real </em>for relationships between men and women, who were created "in the beginning" by a God of pure love, and who were created to share love in such a way that they are no longer two separate beings, but one. Of course it is absurd to think of taking apart what was shaped by the Creator to be one single unit.<br /><br />Still, Moses knew when he gave the law, and I think Jesus knew when he gave this "refresher course," that human beings are notorious for holding ourselves to much lower ideals than God does. It was no secret even then that humans are prone to chronic hard-heartedness (not to mention hard-headedness), and that "exceptions to the rule" had been allowed by God--not necessarily because God likes it, but perhaps because God is graceful, and patient with our failings and our foibles, our lack of maturity, our missteps, our variability.<br /><br />We know that divorce is, statistically, a huge issue in our culture, and people point fingers in many, many directions to try to place the blame for the dramatic numbers. We may look to Jesus, teaching in this text, for a simple, straightforward, black-and-white response. But I think perhaps Jesus's teaching here is more rich than a simple "yes or no"; I think the bigger lesson has more to do with <em>being joined</em> than being separated. It's a lesson not just about what God <em>doesn't </em>desire for us, but about what he <em>does.</em> He wants us to be joined together.<br /><br />Being joined is about origins--how we were meant to be from the beginning. Being joined is about awareness--how we open our relationships to God's shaping. Being joined is about independence--how we move away from our childhood dependencies to turn our focus to one another. And being joined is about union--how we become one entity, and, as one, continue in our lifelong journey of becoming.A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-37470663097196155872010-03-20T20:57:00.006-05:002014-07-30T15:42:37.365-05:00Lent, Day 32: On the team.<em>Today's reading: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%209:33-50&version=ESV">Mark 9:33-50</a></em><br /><em></em><br />After a few weeks of being off-track on my daily reading schedule, today I am finally catching up--and what's more, I am incorporating <em>tomorrow's</em> designated scripture into today's reflection! (So, yes, tomorrow I am taking the day off!!!) Monday I'll pick up with Mark chapter 10, and barring any more computer glitches, we'll be good to go for the next two weeks 'til Easter Sunday!<br /><br />I'd like to say, too, that today's topic was in no way influenced by the cultural phenomenon that is March Madness. Typically I try to refrain from sports analogies (I figure Christendom has plenty of those from the vast profusion of male preachers; my hunch is that sermon sports storytelling far outweighs stories about cooking, crafts, childbearing, etc.). When I looked at the scriptures for today, I noticed how Bible editors have split it into three distinct sections-- but obviously noone consulted me, because I think the three have a theme very much in common. When we read them as separate texts, we may miss it, but absorbed together, each of these "teachable moments" with Jesus seems to be a different facet of one stone: that is, what it means to be on the team.<br /><br />To be on the team means no one is the greatest, and no one is first. (Or, looked at another way--<em>everyone </em>is the greatest, and <em>everyone</em> is first.) It means the leaders must be the servants. It means the least, the smallest are stand-ins for God's own self.<br /><br />To be <em>on</em> the team means we're not the <em>whole</em> team. We're part of a body, but we're not the whole body. And the whole team doesn't look like us. It doesn't worship like us, it doesn't talk like us, it doesn't like the same music we do, it doesn't have the same problems we do. But to be on the team means we must learn to recognize our teammates, and we must be <em>for</em> one another.<br /><br />To be on the team means calling on each other to be our best, strongest selves so that our team can be its best and strongest. We trust in God's redemption, and at the same time we hold high standards and know that for our own health we must remove ourselves from hurtful choices. We believe God holds us close, and know that we move must remove ourselves from those who would separate us from God.<br /><br />And to be on the team means to maintain our shared character; among all our differences, to live up to the calling, the faith, the story that we share and that sets us apart from the world we play in. To be on the team, to share that life, means to be at peace together.<br /><br />May the day come soon.A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-89764813200355086702010-03-19T21:29:00.004-05:002014-07-30T16:10:25.223-05:00Lent, Day 31: Prayer.<em>Today's reading: </em><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%209:14-32&version=ESV"><em>Mark 9:14-32</em></a><br />
<br />
help my unbelief<br />
<br />
when the sure things<br />
are shaken<br />
<br />
help my unbelief<br />
<br />
when my loves<br />
are threatened<br />
<br />
help my unbelief<br />
<br />
when I am robbed<br />
of myself<br />
<br />
help my unbelief<br />
<br />
when healing<br />
seems denied<br />
<br />
help my unbelief<br />
<br />
when the future<br />
appears dead<br />
<br />
help my unbelief<br />
<br />
when my words<br />
are not enough<br />
<br />
help my unbelief<br />
<br />
when I simply<br />
don't understand<br />
<br />
still<br />
I believe<br />
<br />
help my unbeliefA Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-24275161886303828742010-03-18T21:04:00.006-05:002014-07-30T15:42:37.344-05:00Lent, Day 30: Enveloped.<em>Today's reading: </em><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%209:1-13&version=ESV"><em>Mark 9:1-13</em></a><br /><br />How do you (and by "you" I mean "I") even begin to do justice to this passage--in a first-impressions-version/quick-reflection-on-the-scripture kind of Lenten daily writing? Of all the biggies, this one is right up there, and is packed from verse 1 to verse 13 with amazement and awe, symbol and substance: three closest apostles on a road trip with the rabbi; Jesus' dazzling transfiguration; the appearance of some Old (Testament) friends; Peter's ever-enthusiastic offer to build a few shelters; a replay of Jesus' baptismal dedication; concerns about what resurrection means; prophecy and fulfillment and more prophecy.<br /><br />You (I) could write a reflection on the transfiguration <em>every day of Lent</em> and every day probably come up with some new idea, insight, inspiration about it. (And maybe that was part of the point of it in the first place; no doubt those three disciples talked about it among themselves for weeks after!)<br /><br />But for my first-impressions/quick-reflection purposes, I find it helpful to do one of two things with a rich, deep text like this: either to take a "big picture" view and try to think about the scripture in broad strokes, or to get up close and try to see unusual and meaningful details that might be missed in the big picture. Tonight is a "detail" night... and it became one when I read verse 7: <em>Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"</em><br /><em></em><br />The Voice echoes the blessing that was spoken at Jesus' baptism. Here, though, "the cloud enveloped them." God not only <em>speaks</em> acknowledgment of Christ, but, in a physical way, wraps around all those who were there: Moses and Elijah--representatives of the Hebrew priestly and prophetic traditions; Jesus--the Messiah, the fulfillment of God's story through Israel; and Peter, James, and John--the first generation of Christ-followers and of the future church. Gathered there on a mountaintop, "alone" (as verse 2 says) and yet not at all alone, all these faithful followers were physically surrounded by God's presence, joined with one another in the encompassing love of God.<br /><br />A strange thing happens sometimes here in Southern California. Within a few short minutes and miles, a day can go from bright and sunny to absolutely shrouded in fog (smog?) and cloud. It is startling when it happens, a bit frightening and confusing, and makes me feel suddenly very alone. Visibility next to nothing, a chill in the air--it can feel, in a matter of minutes, as if the warmth of the day and the familiar comfort of people sharing the road are simply gone.<br /><br />I wonder how the disciples experienced the cloud of God's presence wisping around their arms, hazing out their vision? They were already frightened; I can't help but think being suddenly immersed in a cloud heightened their fear (and then did the Voice calm them? Or did it simply give their goosebumps goosebumps?). Did they feel cut off from one another? Or did they perhaps sense even then that they were part of something bigger--a big picture that they shared with the heros of their childhoods, with their beloved rabbi, and with the great I Am?<br /><br /><em>Envelop us, O God,</em><br /><em>across time</em><br /><em>across distance.</em><br /><em>Enfold us in the love</em><br /><em>You Are.</em>A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-66980954021873847892010-03-17T22:27:00.005-05:002014-07-30T15:42:37.397-05:00Lent, Day 29: Being in.<em>Today's reading: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%208:31-38&version=ESV">Mark 8:31-28</a></em><br /><em></em><br /><em>"Being in means you've got to do something, not just say you're in." (Dead Poets' Society)</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>God,</em><br /><em>give me the courage to</em><br /><em>Be In:</em><br /><em>to listen to your painful honesty</em><br /><em>without complaint,</em><br /><em>to have foremost in my mind</em><br /><em>those things that are of</em><br /><em>you,</em><br /><em>to follow you by</em><br /><em>turning aside from my own</em><br /><em>desires my own</em><br /><em>wishes my own</em><br /><em>knowledge my own</em><br /><em>dreams (and by tuning them</em><br /><em>to align with your desires</em><br /><em>wishes</em><br /><em>knowledge</em><br /><em>dreams</em><br /><em>for me).</em><br /><em>Give me strength to</em><br /><em>Be In</em><br /><em>when all those things I count as life</em><br /><em>are lost to me,</em><br /><em>when I must let the whole world slip away</em><br /><em>to instead let you</em><br /><em>save my soul.</em><br /><em>Give me faith to</em><br /><em>Be In</em><br /><em>and not to be ashamed,</em><br /><em>so that you may not be ashamed</em><br /><em>of me.</em>A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-7321240760035534752010-03-16T22:18:00.007-05:002014-07-30T15:42:37.413-05:00Lent, Day 28: Seeing clearly.<em>Today's reading: </em><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%208:22-30&version=ESV"><em>Mark 8:22-30</em></a><br /><br />Ever since my computer-induced four-day pause earlier this month, I have evaluated every day's scripture readings to see where I could combine readings in order to make up the lost time and be on track for Holy Week. Initially I didn't think it made sense to combine these two stories: the blind man healed, and the apostle Peter's confession of Jesus as Christ. But as I read and reread them, and thought about what was going on in them, the commonality between them seemed to come slowly into focus. Both of these stories share one thing in common: the issue of seeing, clearly.<br /><br />The God who created all there is to see, and who created sight itself, was certainly capable of restoring vision to a man who has physically blind.<br /><br />But things get more complicated, perhaps, when spiritual vision is the concern. On the way to Caesarea, Jesus asked his companions: "Who do people say that I am?" They report back to him the rumors flying around the towns: some people say John the Baptist, some say Elijah or one of the prophets. Then Jesus pushes them further: "What about you? Who do <em>you</em> say that I am?"<br /><br />What did they do with this question hanging in the air, like a speech balloon above their heads? Was there silence, just crickets chirping in the background? Or did twelve hands shoot up into the air, and twelve mouths stumble over each other to get out the words? We don't know. The only voice we hear is Peter's: "You are the Christ."<br /><br />The disciples have felt Jesus' hands on the eyes of their hearts, and in this moment of clarity, the disciples finally <em>see</em>.<br /><br />What about me?<br /><br /><em>God of sight,</em><br /><em>give me clear vision</em><br /><em>to see who you are.</em>A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485345781206548970.post-29183688313434423232010-03-15T21:51:00.005-05:002014-07-30T15:42:37.352-05:00Lent, Day 27: Still no bread.<em>Today's reading: <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%208:1-21&version=ESV">Mark 8:1-21</a></em><br /><em></em><br />It's funny, I don't know how to feel when Jesus says things to the disciples like this: "Do you still not understand?" (v. 21) Because, you know, I'm pretty sure their answer was "Nope"... and, frankly, sometimes, so is mine.<br /><br />Once again, Jesus is teaching on a remote hillside. Once again, dinnertime comes around and nobody thought to bring the picnics. Once again, bread and fish are blessed and broken, and once again the apostles are put to work distributing the miraculous meal (and then gathering up the leftovers).<br /><br />But this time, after the miracle was over and done and all the faithful picnickers had gone home, Jesus and the disciples got in a boat to go to another area. There, they were accosted by Pharisees who were bent on forcing Jesus' hand. And as usual, he refused to play their game... he got back in the boat and sailed away.<br /><br />But this time, back on the boat, the disciples realized <em>they</em> didn't have enough bread on hand--just one loaf. Jesus saw their worry, and said (cryptically, in my humble opinion): "Be careful. Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod."<br /><br />Oh. Kay.<br /><br />The disciples, trying to decipher their teacher's message, went in to a huddle. The best they could come up with was that Jesus was rebuking them for not bringing enough bread. Jesus (no doubt rolling his eyes to heaven) asked them what was fast becoming a standard question: "Do you still not see or understand?" Why are you still talking about the silly bread---didn't you see what I can do with bread? Do your eyes and ears not work---and haven't you seen what I can do with broken bodies?<br /><br />What a contrast with the stories of faithful friends bringing their broken loved ones to Jesus for his healing touch--those who can be made well by their faith. Here are his closest companions, his chosen ones, befuddled over bread.<br /><br />Had they been too busy passing the plates and scraping together the leftovers to pay attention to Jesus' feeding of the multitudes?<br /><br />Were they too distracted by defensiveness against the Pharisees' accusations to notice that they could be just as blind as the religious establishment?<br /><br />I don't begin to understand everything about Jesus' parables and sayings (and, if I may say so, I tend to distrust people who claim that they <em>do</em>). If it was difficult for the twelve--those who walked the dirt roads alongside him, shared picnics and boatrides--how much more difficult is it for us, who are distanced by generations and by geography? If they constantly needed their eyes and ears to be opened, how much more do we?<br /><br />Hear my prayer, O God:<br /><br /><em>On the busy days,</em><br /><em>rushing,</em><br /><em>tending,</em><br /><em>feeding,</em><br /><em>cleaning up,</em><br /><em>keep my gaze focused</em><br /><em>on the miracle of bread--</em><br /><em>of life.</em><br /><em>In the face of confrontation,</em><br /><em>the challenging,</em><br /><em>the demeaning,</em><br /><em>the faith-shaking,</em><br /><em>keep my ears and eyes</em><br /><em>open to your signs of life--</em><br /><em>and bread.</em><br /><em></em>A Moving Yarnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10281512292470423640noreply@blogger.com0