Most Christian ‘believers’ tend to echo the cultural prejudices and worldviews of the dominant group in their country, with only a minority revealing any real transformation of attitudes or consciousness. It has been true of slavery and racism, classism and consumerism and issues of immigration and health care for the poor. Richard Rohr

Meditation: How do we respond to culturally blinded Christians who in the name of religion oppress and exclude minorities? How do we get these citizens to wake up from abusing their privileges and make them aware of their ignorance and prejudice? What terrible abuse, first of all of religion and then also of many minority persons who Christ came to heal and call “blessed”. Right now, I am ashamed to call myself a Christian. What sad times!

Prayer: God of justice and mercy, we are deeply troubled that churches and people who call themselves Christians are supporting the current political wave of oppression. And so we stand with and pray for all transgender soldiers who are losing their careers and livelihood based on arbitrary prejudice and political abuse of power. We stand with and pray for the children of immigrants who trusted the government and who are being sacrificed on the altar of political power games. We stand with undocumented immigrants who lost everything in the storm Harvey, but who are too scared to come out openly and ask for help. God, we are deeply troubled, angry and ashamed. God, have mercy!

Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” Zechariah 7: 9-10

Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn’t you – all of the expectations, all of the beliefs – and becoming who you are. Rachel Naomi Remen

Meditation: Adolescence is a beautiful and difficult time in life. The beauty is that the growing teens can try out all kinds of things. The difficulty is that there is so much to try. “What do I like?” “What is me and what is not me?” “Who am I?” And that can change also from week to week. This process is exciting and confusing to the teens and their parents alike. However, it is a beautiful process. And if we adults don’t limit thinking about “becoming self” to those earlier years, it is important to know that we can and need to still ask these questions at any age and at any stage in our life: “What fits me still?” “Have I outgrown this role?” “Do I need to try something new?” “Who am I now, now that I am turning 30. 50. 60 or 80?  Finding out who we are created and meant to be is an exciting and sometimes confusing journey. But as we allow to let go of those things that are no longer life-giving, we will become who we truly are and who we are meant to be.

Prayer: Gracious God, You always invite us to make changes, even when we turn 80. You want us to become more and more congruent and true to who we are. You allow us to shed old expectations and old beliefs if they no longer fit. In Your presence we can discover new things about ourselves at any age. We are excited, a little scared and utterly confused at times. But thank You for healing. Thank You for allowing us over and over again to grow into who we are and who we are meant to be in You. Amen

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:14

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. Dalai Lama

Meditation: One of the things I had to practice and learn over many years is being non-judgmental and compassionate with others and with myself. There have been times in my life where I was very harsh and restrictive with myself and consequently also with others. Today I see myself as having nearly recovered from being judgmental. I rarely experience myself striving for ideals or perfection anymore. Instead I usually am able to embrace myself and people as we are. Compassionate and non-judgmental living has become a deep joy of my recovery. As a therapist and as a mother I try to model and teach compassion with self and compassion with others. My happiness at this stage in my life is grounded in self-compassion and self-care. I am grateful for my spiritual and emotional recovery process. Even my body is benefiting from my ability to be compassionate. I am gentler with myself and more in tune with what my body needs. I am grateful for all the people in my life who have had compassion for me and who modeled and taught me gentleness. They were for me embodiments of the path that Jesus taught. They were an incarnation of God who is the very source of compassion.

Prayer: God, thank You for recovery. Thank You for healing us from harsh and critical ways of being. Thank You for liberating us from ourselves when we are more judgmental and punitive than You would ever be. Thank You for the power of compassion. Thank You for the healing power of gentleness. Thank You for sending us messengers of Your compassion and love that heal and inspire us. And we are grateful. Amen

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude. Brene Brown

Meditation: The girls are excited. We will go on a family outing tomorrow. Nothing big, nothing expensive, just a two hour drive north to Helen, GA. We have been there eleven years ago, but the girls won’t remember, as they were only three. We had a picnic back then, and we are planning on having one tomorrow. And then there will be zip lining and tubing on one of the rivers. Great fun for teens. These are the moments and days as a family that make our hearts sing: Time off. Time away. Time for each other. Nothing extraordinary. But something really special to us as a family. Us, who are often so incredibly busy with work, school and hobbies. Precious time, shared time, shared experiences of driving, eating and being in nature together. We will be getting up excited and happy, and we will be returning late filled with sun, water, good food and gratitude.

Prayer: God, for the ordinary yet special times in life we are grateful. For teens who still want to be with their parents and for an extra day off from work, we are thankful. We cherish these times of togetherness. Times of enjoying the outside and of discovering. Thank You for your loving kindness that is new every morning. Amen

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name… to declare Your loving kindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night.” —Psalm 92:1-2

For me, the opposite of scarcity is not abundance. It’s enough. I’m enough. My kids are enough. Brene Brown

Meditation: We live in a culture where most assume “bigger to be better”. Winning and being the best is what most are striving for at all times and in all things. Having plenty, having abundantly and having more than others is seen as a virtue. Really? Aren’t these values taught by a secular, market driven textbook? Aren’t we being manipulated to keep consumerism going, just to keep our market system alive? The Christian tradition offers us the counter cultural notion of “enough”. “Having enough” means seeing our life as being blessed by God no matter how much we own. “Being enough” means having received God’s Grace in the midst of life, even with our experiences of imperfections and shortcomings. As Christians we have the freedom of knowing and following counter cultural values. We don’t have to desperately strive for more or for perfection at all times. We don’t have to obsess about always winning and having more than others. Our joy and freedom comes from our gratitude. It comes from embracing the “enough”. Our freedom as Christians is that we do not have to go for being and having the best, the perfect or even abundance. Our joy is resting in “the enough”.

Prayer: God, show us when we get entangled in the “more and more” of our society. Help us stay differentiated. Let us experience the joy of enough and the freedom that comes with that experience. Teach us gratitude that protects us from the hunt for more at any cost. Your Grace sets us free. You change our perspective. You renew our mind. And we are grateful! Amen

And God is able to give you all grace in full measure; so that ever having enough of all things, you may be full of every good work. 2. Corinthians 9:8

A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary. Dorothy Canfield Fisher

Meditation: I remember that as a child I liked to be independent. Even at the age of two I would say “Ich kann das selber” (I can do this myself!). As a teenager I liked to hang out at a friend’s house instead of being at home. Reflecting on my independence need growing up, I became aware that after I left home at 19,  I would sometimes choose to stay away from home for too long, as I often was not aware or did not admit when I needed to be nurtured or cared for. Interestingly as a mother of twins I turned out to especially cherish those time when my girls would “lean on me” literally and figuratively, as I love to care for them. Gratefully, as they grew they both like to assert their independence as well. And at the same time they are able to ask for a hug or for support when they need it. I am glad that my “lop sided story” of seeking independence is thus far not being repeated in my daughters’ story. Independence does not mean avoiding nurturing. And becoming self-sufficient does not mean never leaning on a mother’s shoulder. It means that a daughter is free to be independent and self-sufficient while being free to also ask for support if she needs it.

Prayer: Mother God, thank you that my daughters are finding the balance between independence and allowing to be nurtured better than I did. Thank You that You want us to become independent and free, especially as females. And thank You also that there is no shame in needing to lean and be nurtured at times. We rejoice in this balance of independence while remaining connected, of self-sufficiency while also allowing to be nurtured. This balance is one of the mysteries of Your Love that I am learning more about every day. Amen

The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27a

Everything you are against weakens you. Everything you are for empowers you. Wayne Dyer

Meditation: When we get anxious or afraid, our minds turn towards the negative. When we are frustrated and angry, our minds easily become fixated and judgmental. We feel that we need to fight against that what we fear. We become glued to the negativity that makes us angry in the first place. Our minds become frozen in “being against”. This experience weakens us. I had a wise person ask me once: “I hear all the things you don’t want to be, all the things you despise. Can you now tell me what are the things that you are passionate about? What do you want?” When I started telling all the things I wanted, my whole body, my demeanor and my mind shifted. I became positive, hopeful and excited. When we focus on what we are for, and not get fixated on what we are against, we feel liberated, creative and empowered.

Prayer: God, we can call on You to liberate us from negative energies that hold us captive. So we ask: free us when anxiety seduces us to believe negative predictions, free us when anger takes a hold of us to the point of us rendering power to those we despise. Liberate us so we can let go of anxiety, of anger and fear. Fill us with Your creative energy. Fill us with gratitude, hope, and new dreams of possibilities. For in You all things are possible. Amen

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst. Philippians 4:8

Christianity stands or falls with its revolutionary protest against violence, arbitrariness, and pride of power, and with its plea for the weak. Christians are doing too little to make these points clear … Christendom adjusts itself far too easily to the worship of power. Christians should give more offense, shock the world far more, than they are doing now. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Meditation: Is Christianity selling out? Is Christianity today worshipping power? People who call themselves “pastors” or “chaplains” try to take advantage of certain positions and influence. They are prideful and exploit the poor. Extracting money out of people’s pockets in the name of God is the sellout of the church. Colluding with leaders who promote violence and arbitrarily oppress certain minorities is the sellout of the church. Where is God’s Church’s revolutionary protest against the “White House church” that is being erected? A church that is no church. Pastors and chaplains who are no spiritual leaders but false prophets. Has the Church in the US been reduced to social institutions without revolutionary power? Are our churches well run businesses that are reduced to taking care of “our people’s” social and emotional needs? Do we no longer have access to the revolutionary message of Jesus?

Prayer: God, wake us, Your Church up. What do You need us to say? What do You need us to do? Let us not allow false prophets to take over the thinking and belief of the masses. Let those who follow Jesus rediscover the depth of his revolutionary message and proclaim it in this particular time. God, send Your Spirit so that we do not allow history to repeat itself. God have mercy! Amen

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 2. Timothy 4:3-4

A true community is not just about being geographically close to someone or part of the same social web network. It’s about feeling connected and responsible for what happens. Humanity is our ultimate community, and everyone plays a crucial role. Yehuda Berg

Meditation: Early this year, with the political climate changing in this country, I asked many more people I know to befriend me on Facebook. I had the need to feel more connected. I also started writing this blog. I wanted to challenge myself to find words, as words hold life and possibilities. And so for the past 230 days I have tried to find words that describe how I am connecting to this current time in history, and how I believe that God (in the historical and risen Jesus) is still reaching out and connecting with us today. Before my day starts or as my day ends, I am slowing down, listening inward and start writing. I am reminding myself that I am connected: Connected to the Spirit of God that strengthens me, connected to what is happening in our world today and connected to well-wishing and loving people who have crossed my path along the way or who have accompanied me. Being aware of these three connections while I meditate and pray and then bringing them together in my writing is life-giving and healing to me.

Prayer: God, Your Spirit constantly seeks and makes connections. It constantly wants to nourish, wants to heal. I pray that we will experience You by allowing ourselves to be more connected, more nourished and healed by You in a time that feels overwhelming, threatening and destructive. I pray for all who feel isolated. Fill them anew with Your Spirit of connecting creativity. Help all of us take one small step today to feel more connected. And we are grateful for Your Spirit. Amen

I am the vine, and you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me. John 15:5

Grief is in two parts. The first is loss. The second is the remaking of life. Anne Roiphe

Meditation:  Many have lost their homes in the state of Texas that has first been hit by a hurricane and now by a tropical storm’s rising water levels. I saw a photo yesterday of several nursing home residents in wheel chairs engulfed to their waists in water, waiting to be rescued. They were saved. I heard the story of a young mother rescuing her 8 months old daughter and her mother by creating her own shelter with 200 other people in an empty Elementary School. Thousands of people are being displaced. People have lost their homes and all their belongings. Fear, exhaustion and grief are flooding the state of Texas while tons of water desperately look for ways to drain. The country grieves with the vulnerable, the misplaced, the evacuated and those still waiting on the roofs of their houses to be rescued. We pray for strength for those rescuing others in need and for our nation to respond with urgency and strategic wisdom.

Prayer: God, we pray for the many who are still in danger and who need urgent help. Let helpers get to them. Let all lives be saved. We pray for those who feared for their lives and who made it to safety, now grieving that they had to leave everything behind. In Your Spirit of unity, let communities come together, let people reach out and save each other. Let Your presence be felt in the many rescue shelters and in those who rescue others day and night. God have mercy. Amen

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6