Speaking of Spirit

  (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) 2011 Linda M. Rhinehart Neas Has this ever happened to you?  I have been sitting here for an hour trying to come up with something that will have meaning, something that will resonate with my readers, something that will bring inspiration, enlightenment or simply affirmation.  Nothing!   My mind is foggy. There is so much flying around in my head - responsibilities, lesson plans due, bills, concern about family members.  I can't see anything in the vast halls of my accumulation of knowledge. I am getting frustrated, and I know that frustration will produce brain-cramps that will further the problem. So...I am off to do other things - shower, dress, eat, anything to occupy my foggy mind. ~~~~ Well, doing other things did aid me in finding something to share. As I was wandering around the house, I began thinking about what others did to become inspired. From several different faith paths, I remembered that the holy people would...

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together."  - Vincent Van Gogh Inspiration comes from some of the most unusual places. Little did I know that watching an old 1940's, black and white film would inspire today's post, but Passport to Pimlico did just that.   This quaint comedy tells the story of a neighborhood in London that suddenly finds itself in an international dispute that leads to the isolation of the neighborhood as a foreign domain.  The good people of the neighborhood must band together to keep their  sovereignty. The intrepid community quickly realizes that while they can survive many of the ills that befall them, they cannot survive alone.   This lesson, I believe, speaks loudly to all of us in the US, now. We are part of the world community. We cannot isolate ourselves from that community, nor our responsibilities to that community.  For better or worse, we are all in this together - each person, famil...

"Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you to leave this world better than when you found it."   ~~ Wilferd A. Peterson ~~ Today, I wish to give thanks for some of the people who have ignited my spirit.  My parents, sweetheart, children, grandchildren, family and friends are all part of this long, long list, of course, but today, I want to recognize those gentle souls who may not be as obvious. As a very young girl, the artwork of Vincent Van Gogh touched me in a way that I still find difficult to describe.  His images awakened in me an understanding that to be different was OK...to pursue your passion was what life was about. When I first saw Starry Night , I believed he had painted it just for me...a touchstone in time, given so that I could remember my passion.   ...