the dramatic

Today I was looking for quotes to play across the screen during a quiet drop-in contemplative time at our church this evening.  A Maundy Thursday observance.  I came across this; not at all what I was searching for but perfect nonetheless.

I will have nothing to do with a God who cares only occasionally. I need a God who is with us always, everywhere, in the deepest depths as well as the highest heights. It is when things go wrong, when good things do not happen, when our prayers seem to have been lost, that God is most present. We do not need the sheltering wings when things go smoothly. We are closest to God in the darkness, stumbling along blindly.

Madeleine L’Engle

Oh, how I am grateful for the artists - the writers and dancers, the actors and singers and painters, the poets who say what I cannot but need to more than anything.  This life, this faith - it is hard for me to imagine how I would navigate it without their help.

How grateful I am for the dear ones around me, even today, who are in the darkness, stumbling, teary and weak.  That they would share their weakness with me is a precious gift.

And most of all, how grateful I am for the truth of this statement.  That this is exactly the kind of God that I need.  And that this is exactly the kind of God that He is.

this time last year: before we even got out of bed (12. 04. 2008)