Month: October 2013

Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
         

         God called us to holy lives,
                  not because of anything we have done
                  but according to God’s own purpose and grace.
                           —2 Timothy 1.9
         
         We are merely slaves;
                  we have done only what we ought to have done.
                           —Luke 17.10

One piano key
has no song
but occasional notes
without melody or pattern.
It can’t understand the piano,
doesn’t know the music,
surely senses nothing
of an audience.
But when moved,
ignorant of all
but the maestro’s touch,
it strikes its strings
exactly as it is moved to.
And not by its merit
as a single key
nor its grasp of the whole,
but by the presence
of the virtuoso
and the grace of the music
of which you know nothing
a great beauty is created
that moves the Listener.

For the sake of that song
let God move through you
without knowing more.

         
         
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

To subscribe to Unfolding Light by daily e-mail write to me at unfoldinglight8(at)hotmail.com

Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.

I am reminded of your sincere faith:
          rekindle the gift of God that is within you.
Hold to the standard of sound teaching
          that you have heard from me,
          in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Guard the good treasure entrusted to you,
          with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
                  —2 Timothy 1. 5, 6, 13-14

Your faith is not a strength or accomplishment,
a possession or a quality of yours at all;
it is a gift from God.
In your surrender to the love of the Beloved,
whose heart beats in yours,
you are given God’s own love,
for God and for the world.
Your faith is divine love alive in you.
Be thankful. Guard this treasure.
You don’t need to protect it;
it can face the worst of the world.
Don’t hoard it, or hide it.
But attend to it, care for it.
Don’t abuse it or forget it
or take it for granted.
Water the plant and give it light.
Let it live in you, strong and clear.
Even when your faith is a mystery,
all darkness and struggle,
it is still a gift:
God’s love in you, for your sake,
for the sake of the world.
Let the Loving One, who is in you,
help you guard this treasure
with humble joy and gratitude,
and give it away all the time.
         
         

Deep Blessings
Pastor Steve
______________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

To subscribe to Unfolding Light by daily e-mail
write to me at unfoldinglight8(at)hotmail.com.

         
         
         When you have done all that you were ordered to do, say,
         “We are merely slaves;
         we have done only what we ought to have done!”
                  — Luke 17.10

Lord,
I am your servant, not the master,
but not in chains: in love.
In perfect freedom I obey;
as your lover I submit to you.
O Love at the Heart of All Things,
I am yours.
This day is yours, not mine.
My life, and all my gifts,
my skills and passions,
are for your sake, not mine.
My task today is to be and to do
according to your will.
I pray that your energy
may arise in me clearly,
that I may trust your desire for me,
discern your unfolding in me,
and live in harmony with your grace.
You are the nerve; I am the muscle.
You are the heart; I am the hand.
May all that I do today be for you sake,
according to your delight;
and may I, in humbly serving others,
in obedience to your love,
draw nearer to you.
Amen.

         
         

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

To subscribe to Unfolding Light by daily e-mail write to me at unfoldinglight8(at)hotmail.com