From the rising of the sun to its setting ...
"From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised" - Psalm 113:3 Sunrise photo contributed by Mike Willock
Posts
The Glory of Summer
"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow" - Audrey Hepburn Crape myrtle in full bloom - photo submitted by Mike Willock
God left us a greeting card this morning
It’s just an old dog dish. Our dogs are long gone. We leave it on the patio as a rain gauge and for birds and squirrels to drink. But this morning the overnight snowfall and the warming day combined for a moment to create a joyful work of art, one that could not be sculpted by human hands. God left us a greeting card this morning. It will soon be gone. Beauty is all around us if we take the time to look. God is good. All the time. - photo and text by Mike Willock
"High on the vast blue canvas, clouds curl, float."
The "Indian summer" rolls on with temperatures in the 60s and 70s and sometimes even the 80s, deep into October. (For now, gardeners have been spared the dreaded the first frost). In that connection, a colleague of mine at school, John Mohrmann, circulated this poem about being grounded. He writes that he choose the poem because of its reference to late summer in the first line, but "I mostly like this poem because it reminds me that when I worry about how I measure up in the 'halls of judgments,' I need to stay connected to my foundation, to 'what I am.' " And make sure you scroll down to see the corresponding beautiful photo shared by Mike Willock -Tim Woodcock My Rock Summer’s ending. I sit on my desert rock, listen to the world’s hum. Crows and ravens caw, finches and sparrows chirp. A dog barks. Can I face ...
Some of my favorite things
As Maria sang in The Sound of Music , "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens…" Photo taken outside the front of the church by Mike Willock after the food pantry on Saturday.
Beauty finds a way
An offering of beauty to the 2PC parking lot from our next door neighbors (photo by Mike Willock)
Reflections from "the dear green place"
Tim Woodcock writes: As the dust settles on the recent COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, it is clear that this was not landmark event that many where hoping for. The Glasgow Climate Pact nudged humanity in the right direction, but it’s hard to characterize it as anything other than “too little, too late.” Sadly the talks in Glasgow will not earn the city a place in the history books as the location of game-changing agreements, as Rio and Paris had before it. I have a special affection for Glasgow, nicknamed “the dear green place,” having lived there for six years (studying at the University of Glasgow for four years and then living there a couple of years beyond that; it’s where I met my wife; and we still have a number of friends either in the city or nearby). Beyond our academic classes, the circles that Katy and I moved in involved university chaplaincy groups, the Quaker meeting, and various activist groups, and recently I spent an enjoyable evening trawling through the news cove...
Let the Earth Breathe
Ellie Stock writes: I wanted to share with you a project that my daughter, Chenoa (who is a PCUSA Mission Co-worker in Peru), and I have been working on... Below is a link to a song video "Let the Earth Breathe". Some background: After Carleton, and I "retired" from Northminster Presbyterian Church in Dellwood in 2011, we decided we wanted to focus our ministry on addressing the environment from the Universe Story perspective (humanity's common perspective). In 2012 we decided to host a winter/spring environmental film series in Ferguson to start our effort, which included showing "Journey of the Universe." The last program in May was not a film but the "Awakening the Dreamer" Symposium. For that event, I wrote the song "Let the Earth Breathe." Out of that event came a core of people who were interested in pursuing environmental issues and eventually became the Ferguson Eco Team which is still active and hosting environmental fil...
Roses in bloom
If you were wondering what the entrance to 2nd Pres. looks like right now, here is your answer. (Thank you to Mike Willock for the photo)
"Now the day is over. Signed, God”
A photo contributed by Mike Willock taken in his son's front yard. “Now the day is over. Signed, God”
A note from a tree
Nancy Quigley writes: What with Earth Day this week and its reminder that we are all connected, and each part of creation has a voice, I liked this message from a tree in my neighborhood.