Stained Glass Bits And Pieces Of My Life

Each of our lives is a stained glass window in the making. The most satisfying experience I have is seeing people embrace GodÕs plan for them, to begin to see something beautiful emerge from all the disjointed bits and pieces of their often severely troubled lives. IÕve collected a number of my own bits and pieces here, often broken fragments becoming part of the window of my life. Some dark. Some brilliant. Some warm. Some cold. I trust all will become something beautiful in the end.

Often, our lives feel like a disjointed collection of drab glass, stone, and ceramic pieces. We wonder if thereÕs any purpose or plan to our lives. Has the artisan stopped working on our project and tossed us onto the shelf to collect dust? We think weÕve been thrown into the landfill as rubble. Sometimes our introspection thickens and we find ourselves in depression or a dark night of the soul. ThereÕs no gold or color any more, just a monochrome palette of black, white, and gray. We sense great loss and despair of ever regaining that which has been lost. Miraculously, itÕs in the midst of such times, we often find God doing amazing things in our lives. If we are yielded to Him, looking for His ways in us, we discover HeÕs building all sorts of things into our lives; He is creating a wondrous mosaic from the tesserae of our experiences. These essays represent some of the tesserae being assembled into my life image by the Master Artisan who makes no mistakes.

Through fourteen weeks of daily devotionals, she guides us to understand that God is in the ordinary. The simplicity of the everydayness of living can serve as pathways to God. Life-changing moments are rare. The everyday is where humanity lives. In looking at a variety of fragments, a new and different understanding of the value of the very ordinary may emerge in the God relationship and thus change the individual journey. "Audrey Brown Lightbody is, by nature, a true weaver! Her book is a woven tapestry of vignettes, reflections, poetry, and evocative questions ... a unique presentation of guided meditations which invite us to discover what of The Holy may be close beneath the surface of the 'ordinary' of our lives. A book to be kept near at hand, these readings will prompt fresh insights and inspiration over many occasions. For group reflection, as well as individual prayer, Ordinary Fragments is a rich and deeply engaging resource." -from the Spirit Group who shared the journey

A journal in recognition of the passengers whose lives were changed forever in a tragic bus-train collision and in memory of those who died. “David Gibson’s reality was altered in a moment on September 18, 2013. His eloquent and poignant requiem chronicles his efforts to re-orient himself to a world whose boundaries and reference points abruptly disappeared…he chronicles his experiences in a way that helps us understand the hidden struggle of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.” — Dr. Larry Cebulski, clinical psychologist.

Advice given when buying plants or trees is "Don't expect any blooms the first year. Fruit trees may require three years." I planted a slim brown stick in my yard and got nothing the first year except a thin brown stick with a few leaves on it. During its second season of growth and beyond, that brown stick grew to 7 inches in diameter and now produces wondrous 20 foot pink clouds each spring. In an ideal world we learn lessons the first time around. So often, as with daffodils and cherry trees, we need more time to get it. Winter, incendiary summer, a few storms, and unexpected late frost toughen us, giving us confidence to face whatever life has for us. We can then bloom where we are planted. We often don't have choices about challenges life gives us, but we have free-will in deciding how to respond to them. We can embrace the One who gives Wisdom to live life abundantly. May these vignettes inspire you to find pearls of learning and wisdom to be harvested from the depths of your own life.

In the Old Testament, God used Balaam's donkey to speak to him and protect him from great difficulty. I think in the Atomic Age God has used a small cat to speak to me many times. I don't hear a voice like Balaam, but the messages are just as loud. In a complex age fraught with distractions and dangers, we are in need of reminders of those times when we are about to stray into the abyss. I hear Puderd telling me spiritual life is found in simplicity and knowledge of God is found in quietness. Contentment is found in good friends, not good products. Trust and safety are really beyond our control and we can only have these if we trust in the One who is in control.