Advent Beginnings

So it seems fitting to officially get started on my Faith Meets Life blog at the beginning of Advent. It is the season of beginnings for me. This is the beginning of the new Church year. It is the beginning of the Advent season preparing for Christ’s birth. It is my first Christmas in Winston Salem. It is my first Christmas with my new church family, Centenary United Methodist Church.

As we get started, this blog will be a place to explore that always interesting intersection to me between faith and life. Where are those moments we see God poking into our world, our life, our heart? What about those moments in life that are crying our for God? And those places we didn’t even realize God was paying any attention to?  And sometimes this will be a place to just share something really cool with you.

I confess, the people I have in mind as I write are the people connected to Centenary. But that doesn’t mean others aren’t invited to journey with us.

This “Advent beginning” certainly doesn’t come at the very start of my ministry at Centenary. It’s been quite a journey so far!  5 months of crash course orienting. A hectic pace with much to do because I hate being behind the eight ball. I much prefer being ahead of the curve.  But it takes a lot of work to get there.

And so I keep looking at the fuzzy but peaceful picture of the trees in the sanctuary lit at night. One dark evening as I was heading down the stairs from my office to a meeting I rounded the corner and found this view. It stopped me cold in my tracks and brought tears to my eyes. The only lights on in the sanctuary were the two trees. Just the peace and simplicity of the moment was breath taking for me. And I simply stopped to take it in. Then I did what most people with smart phones do to remember a moment, I took a picture!

So when I get into my “manic mode” as my husband frustratedly calls it, I will do my best to pull out and look at this picture, take a breath and slow it down. I will strive to take many moments to just stop and take things around me in. I will do my best not to plow through Advent and Christmas so I will be able to actually recognize those powerful moments when Faith Meets Life.  Please join me!