First Entry!!!

Hello! Welcome to Pastor Heidi's blog! I hope this will be a good way to create new thoughts and discussion about God, faith, life, coffee...wherever the spirit leads. If you register for an account with blogger.com you can respond to my entries. I have done this for other blogs and it's pretty simple to do. It doesn't mean you need to blog yourself- so don't worry if you don't blog.

That all being said, I'll get down to what I really wanted to say. When I was in college, I received a scholarship from the Fund for Theological Education. Part of receiving this scholarship was a requirement that we attend a conference in the summer. I was not too excited about this because I didn't know anyone else who would be going to the conference. (Now this was ironic because when I received the scholarship I was studying abroad and was travelling around Europe by myself. Funny.) But I went and it turned out to be a life-changing experience. It was at this conference that I really began to embrace the vocation I felt drawn to- ministry.

At the conference I lent a book to someone who promised to return it. Yeah, right. Well, oddly enough, that book found it's way back into my hands last week. 6 years later! It was such a nice surprise, like bumping into an old friend. This book had been with me as I traveled Europe and was a great source of comfort when I often felt so alone. I am starting to re-read it, and I came across a passage that was particularly dear to me...

You are at my side, dear friends, and God is everywhere. Yet ultimately we are alone, making our way home by the candle of the heart. The light is steady and sure but extends only far enough to see the next step. That there are steps beyond is a matter of faith. That we have the faith to endure and walk our own journey- even when we think we are lost- is a gift of grace, and of friendship. Many times our light seems to go out. But another light, one held by a stranger or a friend, a book or a song, a blackbird or a wildflower, comes close enough so that we can see our path by its light. And in time we realize that the light we have borrowed was always also our own. ~ A Woman's Journey to God, Joan Borysenko.

I do believe that God is everywhere. The Psalmist wrote "Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast." (139)

God was with me as I traveled. God was with me at the conference. God was with me in Chicago during seminary, and God is with me here. It can be terribly hard to see God when we get tired and our light fades. But I pray that we remember to look around for what will sustain us in those times- a friend, a book, a bible verse, our church family, or a connection with nature or a pet- because God will show up, often in surprising places. Where do you find God? Have you ever been surpised?

It is so true that we can't see further than a few steps ahead in our journey through life. Something terrible or wonderful may be around the corner. But know that God is with you through it all and that you are not alone. I hope this blog will be a source of light for you as you walk the road of life and of faith. As my favorite writer, Anne Lamott says, "Traveling Mercies: love the journey, God is with you, come home safe and sound."