Second Church Steps

Devotion for Smalls, Talls, and All on Psalm 46 (verses 1, 7, 9-11) There was a lot of violence in the news this past weekend-- from the accidental to unthinkable. I really avoided thinking about it all day. Then, my work was finished. I didn't have any other tasks to occupy my mind. Just as I was settling into a "think," I ran across this devotion from this summer. I wonder if it might help others to think about hard things. I offer it to you for you and your children. 1 God is our refuge and strength,     an ever-present help in trouble. 7  The Lord Almighty is with us;     the God of Jacob is our fortress. 9  He makes wars cease     to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;     he burns the shields [ d ]  with fire. 10  He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;    ...

Media coverage of Hurricane Harvey has had me checking on-line to see if the people and places of my Houston days are well.  Is St. Luke’s PCUSA on the south 610 Loop dry?  Is Northwoods PCUSA, on FM1960, up and running a relief effort? (Of course it is.) Familiar street names flash across the screen, and my heart goes back to the humid years of early adulthood.   Houston is where I weathered miscarriages and disappointments.  It is where I ventured into professional church work in Bellaire.  It is where I learned to “carol dance.”  It is also where I learned what it is to rise above the self and praise God with humility.  How do we sit with pain, anguish, disbelief, and loss? Even more, how do we help our children sit with this? We do this with prayer.  Prayers that name the pain and confess our need, give voice to hope and affirm the connectivity in Christ. Then, we lift prayers of praise—not in spite of the pain, but in the midst...