The bridge from here to there

When you write every day, there's a lot to write about. Like any other habit, writing feeds itself.

My spotty blogging since Lent makes it harder to write. A head and heart in transition splash bursts of energy rather than flowing in a steady stream onto the page. I am in transition.

A transition is defined as "the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another." It can be a scary passage if we don't know the destination. The old place or way of doing things is behind us. But the new way is still unformed or unseen.

Between? It's the bridge from what came before to what comes next.

Sometimes transitions feel like a rock-solid path. Though we may not know what's at the end of the journey, we have secure footholds and hand grips. We walk steadily along.

Other times, change feels more like the swaying of a rope bridge between two hills. Each step rocks the structure while we grab tightly to whatever can steady our gait. We may trip, jog a little, hold our breaths to stand still while we stabilize our balance ... and wonder if the whole thing will spill us into the river below.

The wonderful thing about every "then and now" is that Jesus is with us. He knows every handhold. Every footstep. The One who guarded us yesterday guides us today ... and understands all the details of tomorrow. No matter how difficult or thrilling the moment, He holds our hand.

Scripture even says, "Underneath are the everlasting arms." I like to think about a God who bolsters us when we're slipping or sliding over icy patches or feel too tired to keep going.

Let's trust God for our today: tomorrow's coming. It will be no surprise to God - even if it's completely out-of-the-ordinary for us!

Read more:

*Then Jacob made this vow: "If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father's home, then the LORD will certainly be my God. And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me."

Genesis 28:20–22 NLT

*May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 NIV

*He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth—the Lord God Almighty is his name. Amos 4:13 NIV

*Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish. Jonah 3:9 NLT

*God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

*Moravian Prayer: God who destines us for salvation and changes his mind in our favor, grow our faith to understand this complex truth evident in Christ Jesus. May our witness reveal your hopefulness and ever expanding compassion. Amen.

Lent Day 17: Scanning the past

2-3" binders (on a 6' bookshelf)
beside my dissertation files (7' high)

Technology. Sigh. Need it. Hate it.

"You're lucky," I said to W this morning. "You know that the program is not working. Most of us would just assume we're tech-idiots and tear our hair out in frustration."

The job of the day was a fresh start. I need to get rid of dozens (50+) binders of academic notes, writing projects and studies, and "maybe-some-day" papers. I planned to scan them onto the computer with the "super-easy, best-ever" scanner W picked up at the CES convention in Vegas this year.

The scan program won't install on my computer. The papers I pulled out? The binders I started moving from bookshelf to office? Stalled. W's sending feedback to the company about the program glitch, asking how to fix it. He's hopeful that he can install it tonight.

Freecycle stack: empty binders, blank notebook,
and unused ruled paper

In one pile, I've collected the unused binders, the ruled paper still in its wrapper, and a few 3-subject notebooks, handy for making notes while sitting in the tub.

This month I present one final conference session on my dissertation topic. The paper is written, published, and just needs to be read aloud. It's time to shed those hard copies of research. (Before I throw them in the garbage, I'll ask if the gal writing a paper on early Pentecostal women wants them.)

Alice Wood journal from the 1910s

I find several hundred photocopies of a missionary journal. Ah, yesssss. I promised a denominational archivist that I'd transcribe Alice Wood's diary if she sent me copies. Catherine duly sent the pages so I'm obligated. It will be nice to finish reading Alice's chicken-scratch and send that off. Alice was prolific. I'm looking at two full-time weeks of work. But when I'm done, I can trash the papers I filed two years ago.

Any of you in a similar season of shedding old skin? Is God calling you to new things?

As winter draws to a close, it's time to quit hibernating, to stretch out muscles cramped by the past so we can move into the future. How can you begin to stir and awaken for the work ahead?

Read more:
*Rise up, come to our help. Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love. Psalm 44:26 NLT

*Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Isaiah 55:6 NLT

*I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that did not call on my name. Isaiah 65:1 NLT

*Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” Mark 15:39 NLT

*Christ says, “For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.” Luke 17:21 NLT

*[Jesus said:] There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. John 14:2–3 NLT

Moravian Prayer: Most Holy One, thank you for Jesus, your son, who showed us how to live, how to love, and how to be one with you. Thank you for your unconditional, everlasting love.

May our hearts be open today so we might recognize you in our midst. May we see you and affirm your presence with assurance and strength. Amen.Amen.