Speaking of Spirit

Out from the Core  (c) 2020 Rev. Linda M. Rhinehart Neas After a Zoom exercise class that my daughter was leading, she commented on my core strength. "You know Mom, you have great core strength."  Without thinking, I quickly replied, "This house is built on rock, Baby. No storm is taking me down!"  We laughed, said our goodbyes, and went on with our day. However, that term - core strength -  kept buzzing in my mind. Just what does  core strength mean? Physically, core strength means that the muscles in your back, abdomen, and around your pelvis are strong. According to the Mayo Clinic, " Core exercises train the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen to work in harmony. This leads to better balance and stability, whether on the playing field or in daily activities. In fact, most sports and other physical activities depend on stable core muscles." In my late 60's, I am taking this as a good sign, but my mind kept wo...

(c) 2020 Butterfly by Rev. Linda M. Rhinehart Neas The day I was ordained was one of those clear, warm late spring/early summer days that people remember with great fondness. My colleagues and I were waiting in the gorgeous library of All Soul's Church in New York waiting to process into the church sanctuary. Each of us was in various stages of reflection and preparation for the ritual that lay ahead of us.   I remember, as we walked down the aisle singing, "Here I Am Lord,"  thinking to myself, "Wow, Linda, you finally made it!"  After nearly 60 years of hearing the call, I was finally being recognized. Like the Velveteen Rabbit, I would become "real" in the course of the service. Walking down the aisle, looking into the eyes of my beloved and my cousins, who came to New York to be with me; meeting for a brief moment my dear soul sister, Maryam, who came to share the experience after two years of reading about my journey to ministry, gav...

The past week has been one where the images of hate and violence have once again filled the media.  One sentence caught in my heart.  As a mother, to hear a child, even an adult child, call out in pain and agony destroys something deep within. "Mama, I can't breathe...help me," were George Floyd's last words. His mother was deceased but mothers around the world heard his cry. Mothers around the world have felt that same searing pain at the sound of those words. Mothers around the world, who can still hold their children, are drawing them closer.  Mothers around the world, whose children are far from them, are praying for their safety. Mothers around the world are once again protesting against the insidious hate and violence that has taken too many of their children. Mothers around the world are banning together because they know deep down that where our hearts break, the Light shines through. To the Floyd family, I offer my humble prayers.  To the families...