May 10 - three impossible things

Author: glass artist and nature
Location: Outside

As she tries to gain courage to face the Jabberwocky Alice is reminded to do three impossible things before breakfast. Not finding God, feeling alone, breathing in the abiguity of life, may not be as scary as facing a huge monster but on days when I have trouble seeing God it can feel as big to me. Then I go looking for the obvious which has become dull. I go looking and I can find her still in places like this - the simple beauty of color and light and life. I can still find him if I look for the impossible in the simple. If I take the time to look and remember. It was me who thought it was impossible for to be God present when I am despondent. It is me that sometimes wishes to raise a fist at God when I find life is hard.

It is not impossible for God to be with me, but sometimes in very lonely moments I can draw away from God and blame God for drawing away from me. Ah then is when courage is needed. And perhaps a reminder that the impossible is still possible - Bidden or Unbidden God is present (Erasmus)

May 9 - In response to North Carolina

In response to the lunacy in North Carolina - Love is love
 
Ruth 1:16-18
But Ruth said, “Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; Where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die— there will I be buried. May the Lord do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!” When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.

Author: K Mooney (inspired by artist He Qi)
Location: All Saints Episcopal - Chicago

May 8 - Icon's in the real world

Authors: JH COS group
(note the letters down the right side are folks initials)

Location: Basement of Church of Our Saviour - Chicago

My friend Carol Cade told me recently that every halo in an icon is outlined by a line of red and a line of white.

Here then is a different kind of icon - the hopes, the wishes, the prayers for finding God in church and beyond.

Icons of how we gather and claim our world to be for, with and of God. Everything is Holy. Everything is sacred.

May 7 - In stark relief a flower mimics a flower.

Author: Carol Cade
Location: St Johns Episcopal Chicago

The grass turned green today

and spring confirmed her long anticipated arrival.

Making good on the promise of snow drops

and timid crocusi;

affirming the herald songs

of redbirds and robins

bluebirds and woodpeckers.

A verdant wave swelled across

parks and tree lawns

splashing up against houses

in the cocky stance of daffodil & tulip greens.

The grass turned green today

as I was blessed to see. - PMRumancik

May 6 - Icon in relief (St Teresa)

Authors: Carol Cade & Karen Mooney
Location: St John's Episcopal - Chicago

The saints give us an example an which to live. For St Teresa that was an example of a person working for justice and trying to stay out of trouble with the Vatican. (Her personal confessor was a spy sent to root out her mysticism and heresy.) Meanwhile she gave the world a view of how to bring God into the world. Harkening to the invitation in Micah 6:8 she states:

Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours, no feet but yours;
yours are the eyes through which 
Christ's compassion looks out on the world,
yours are the feet with which 
He is to go about doing good

and yours are the hands with which 
He is to bless us now.    
                                     Teresa of Avila

May 4 - Hail as a sign of great majesty

Author: God
Location: Chicago

It pummeled our roof these chunks of ice from the sky called hail.

The cats ran through the home and acted like fear itself was their breath.
Inconsolable, uncertain, clinging to the ground beneath a chair in the dinning room, claws thickly grabbing at a well worn rug.



HAIL was punishing the windows and hitting the ground as if to remind me that there are consequences for driving cars and creating millions of gadgets out of plastic.
Our yard was transformed, glistening with ice in May.
Yet do we hope that we will survive.
O God have mercy.
O Lord let us learn and grow and transform.

May 3 - I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Author: Corbett Lunsford, Karen Mooney
Location: 5:30 pm Contemplative Eucharist - Church of Our Saviour

Every Sunday evening on the north side of Chicago Corbett and I sit down to create a fabric in music. We weave together an odd set of instruments and songs and every once in a while we come away knowing we have just prayed. Last Sunday - an improve(ish) voice, accordion and piano to the 23rd psalm.


A Psalm of David.
¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
²   He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;^*
3   he restores my soul.^*
He leads me in right paths^*
   for his name’s sake.

⁴ Even though I walk through the darkest valley,^*
   I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff—
   they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely^* goodness and mercy^* shall follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
   my whole life long.

May 2 - God laughs

Author: Susan A. 
in Chicago


When a "white elephant" comes back to grace the beauty of a field of (lilies of the valley) flowers one has to take notice. This lovely lady came from my parents basement - God laughs, maybe mostly at us but s/he laughs all day long.

May 1 - Snow

Author: Karen Mooney
Location: Independence Park - Chicago

If each snow flake is unique,
each tree, each wind blow, each sun ray, each hair on your head,
if each and everything is unique

- does that mean that 

God would get bored

making us the same each time? 

Does God grow in her love

as our world / universe grows and grows.

If each snow flake is unique
how could anything be outside the love of God?