Speaking of Spirit

When I saw the quote, "The problem is, everyone is looking for unconditional Love, carrying a bag full of conditions," I gasped. Wow! the truth of that statement wasn't lost on me. From the moment we draw our first breath, we are looking to be loved, to be cherished, to be respected and protected. Some would argue that this is etched into our DNA so deeply that infants who don't find this waiting for them fail to thrive.  Unfortunately, in this imperfect existence, love has been twisted and mangled to the point of almost being unrecognizable. Love is an action we not only associate with people but things. Let's face it, we need a new word for loving things; otherwise, how will we ever grasp the enormity and sanctity of unconditional Love?  "I love my car," is not the same as, "I love you," yet the words we use are identical.  Furthermore, when we add to this humanity's incessant need to control and conditionalize, and you have the unfortuna...

Family (c) 2018 Rev. Linda M. Rhinehart Neas The Grace of Family is one of those blessings that often gets overlooked until, unfortunately, it is too late.  Let's face it, we ALL have families. Some are stable and dependable, some are crazy, some are absent from us, some are joined at the hip, some are four-legged, wings or even scaled, some make us laugh, some make us cry, some are connected by DNA and others by heartstrings. No matter, when push comes to shove, we all have one.   I just spent another whirlwind weekend with my girls and all the grandkids.  We had such fun!  With four families gathered together, we create our own state!  I call it the State of Chaos!  But, I wouldn't trade it for all the money in the world. Over the years my family has grown by more than simply blood relations. I have "family" around the globe; people who linked to me by a soul connection.  That connection is as deep as any familial tie can be...

  August Jernberg [Public domain]     “God’s provision; timeless resources.”  ~ Lailah Gifty Akita ~   When we hear the word "provision" what comes to mind?  Are there visions of a pantry stocked to overflowing; what about a table heaped with delicacies; or, perhaps grocery bags filled with the necessities need for the week ahead? The word "provision" comes from Latin and literally means "a foreseeing, foresight, preparation, prevention ." The Grace of Provision is, for me, the ability to trust that what is needed will be there when the time comes. Grace, remember, is God's blessing. So, Grace of Provision is the blessing that the Divine foresees our needs and provides what we need, when we need it. Throughout my life, I have experienced this type of Grace. I learned early on that if I do what I am called to do, Creator supplies the rest. The serendipity of this Grace can be so profound that it often seems inconceivable. Some pass ...

Photo: (c) 2018 Rev. Linda M. Rhinehart Neas Walking along the shore a few weeks ago, I thought about how life can be like the ocean. We see what is on top, but rarely do we see what is going on underneath.  As we begin the third week of our journey into the many aspects of Grace, I recall the first time I realized that humans are capable of stepping out of a situation and looking at it from the outside, in.  I was young, and the situation involved adults who were talking in low voices, as adults do when they don't want children to hear.  Fifty odd years later, I can't tell you what was said, but I do remember seeing the situation in my mind as if I was, what they call in literature, an "omniscient observer." Later that day, I spoke to my mother, telling her why I thought my mother's friend was upset. I theorized that there was great sadness in her life and that she wasn't dealing with it well.  Of course, my mother was rather shocked to hear thi...

  (c) 2014 Linda M. Rhinehart Neas Last week, we began a journey to unpack the multifaceted term, Grace.  In theology, Grace is the unmerited, freely given favor and love of the Divine. Grace is the Spirit of the Divine within us, strengthening us. Grace is a virtue divinely given.  In the secular realm, grace can be a form of beauty, a means to forgive or show mercy, a moral strength or a prayer before meals.  Multifaceted, Grace appears to be something to everybody. In unpacking the meaning, lets begin with one of the terms, "sufficient Grace," that comes from the Christian Bible -    (2 Corinthians 12:9) "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' " What does this term mean? What is Sufficient Grace?  Encyclopedia.com tells us that sufficient grace is: "a division of internal actual grace, sufficient grace is used in two senses: (1) grace that gives sufficient ability to perfo...

Photo Credit (c) 2017 L.M.R. Neas Of late, I have been pondering a very old-fashioned concept - that of "grace."  Growing up in a parochial school neighborhood, the idea of grace was something discussed in school and referred to often during the day. I remember phrases like, "By the grace of God..." or "His only saving grace is..." and "But for the grace of God, go I!" Today, people don't seem to refer to grace in quite the same way. Why, I wonder?   Perhaps, the exodus from churches is one reason, or maybe the advancements of technology have caused people to put grace on the back burner. I have no answers for it. However, I do know with my entire being that grace is real, that we still have grace in our lives and that grace, like love, never dissipates.   This "knowing" has called me to write about Grace. (I am capitalizing it because I want the word to stand out in our minds.)  Grace is multifaceted.  There is the Gra...