This hymn is No. 399 in our United Methodist Hymnal. It was written by Frances Havergal in 1874 and is a beautiful prayer. Havergal wanted to know God and Jesus on a deeper level. She often struggled with health issues, but she used her gifts to share the love of God with other people.

“Busyness. It completely baffles me how relatable that word seems to be amongst everyone I know right now. From my middle school students to my grandfather, the number of times I have heard the response “I’m just exhausted.” to the question “How are you?” is incalculable. After a whole year and a half of lockdown with the idea of “normal life” being inaccessible, I can’t say I’m surprised to have found all of us living in this new reality. Though COVID-19 is far from over, it is exciting to have glimpses of what life used to be like and everything it offered.”

If you know me, you know my love and enjoyment of musical theater. That is my other job, teaching voice for the theater department at Texas Wesleyan University. You may have also heard that Broadway is back and opening up. So just get ready for my comments and dialogue about it. It has been way too long for the performing arts to be silent...and even more so for the performing artists who create magic on the Broadway stage, on the Concert Stage, and in Places of Worship to be silent. How much we have craved the magic of making music together, telling a story that only music can do, and enjoying and experiencing that as a group of people on the same journey towards the same goal.

“This weekend, I woke up to a baby squirrel in my backyard. With four dogs and one cat, we can’t just leave little critters unattended. Our sweet ‘monsters’ could easily mistake him as a snack! I scooped him up to check him out. He appeared to be healthy. He wasn’t cold, had fur, but his eyes were still closed. Knowing that allowing his mother to come back for him would be the best case scenario for him, we put our animals away and set him out in the yard. Every few minutes he would cry and squeal, making a fuss! This was great! This could help his momma come back and find him.”

“The Pharisee looked on in judgment of Jesus for letting such a woman touch him. It wasn’t the way things were supposed to be done.

And maybe we would look on Jesus and this woman in judgment, too. Such attention given to the feet would be seen as quite odd in our modern context. But in this time of walking in sandals being the primary mode of transportation, to care for someone’s feet was a great sign of respect and hospitality. When you wash the feet of your guests, you communicate that you value their life and want them in your home.”

“One of my favorite questions to ask groups is pretty simple - “Where did you see God today?” It seems small and easy, but as a question on the spot it gets you thinking. When I’m being my best self, it’s something I ask myself daily. I believe that God lives and breathes in the big and small moments. God is in the webs of relationships, everyday random happenings, and the people I come across daily. Each affords an opportunity to see God and say “Yes”.

I believe that many of these “Yesses” are opportunities to be God’s light in the world.”

I am hopelessly obsessed with the TV show Ted Lasso, probably to the point that my friends, family, and co-workers are annoyed with me. By Friday afternoon I am texting people to ask if they have watched the newest episode yet so that we can talk about it. The premise of the show is pretty simple. An American college football coach gets hired to coach an English Premier League football (soccer) team in West London.