|
An online resource adapted and used with permission from prayerbanch.ca
Weather Report Singin’ in the Rain I'm singing in the rain, just singin' in the rain What a glorious feeling, I'm happy again I'm laughing at clouds so dark up above The sun's in my heart and I'm ready for love Let the stormy clouds chase everyone from the place Come on with the rain, I've a smile on my face I walk down the lane with a happy refrain Just singin', singin' in the rain Lyrics from Singin’ in the Rain Todays Weather There’s nothing like a bit of spring rain to grow the grass and turn every living thing green. Yet for all the goodness brought by spring rain, it is often associated with tears and sadness. Children the world over liken drops of rain from the sky with their own tears freely falling from their eyes. How many parents have marvelled at the words of wisdom from their pre-schooler who authoritatively states, ‘the sky is crying.’ Singin’ in the Rain has in more recent years attracted a new fan base with the stage show based on the 1952 movie. Tickets sold to the stage show often include complimentary rain ponchos for the first few rows to protect theatregoers from the spray of falling rain. Part of the fun for many is to obtain seats in the rain zone. Weather with You Finding hope amidst sadness is hard. It’s easier to watch a movie or show about singin’ in the rain than singing in the rain ourselves. Yet hope often breaks through our sadness when we least expect it, bringing a ray of sunshine into our gloom. It is often in the rainy days of our lives we get to see a glimpse of God at work. Ponder times when you’ve felt sad and alone and you’ve felt a sense of God’s presence breaking through. Whether it’s rainy or sunny outside, wrap yourself up and go outside for your Stroll. You may even like to try a few dance steps or singing as you Stroll. Enjoy this video of Singing in The Rain - it can't help but make you smile! Video - Singing in the rain. Weather Blessing May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
0 Comments
An online resource adapted and used with permission from prayerbanch.ca
Weather Report Controlling the Weather Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NRSV) Todays Weather We try our best to control the weather. We fail. Epic fail. We have no hope of controlling the weather. It seems that no matter what we want or need the weather does what it pleases. When I (Rev. Gail) was studying at Atlantic School of Theology in Nova Scotia, we always said that you could get 4 seasons of weather in one day. A weather report three days out could not be depended upon. Weather was always changing there. We can’t control the weather but we can at least try to control our response to the weather. Some of us do like to closely watch the evening weather report at the end of the nightly television news bulletin. Perhaps it helps with our planning, or maybe determines how we feel about the next day? The weather can determine our mood. Weather with You Take notice of the weather today as you stroll or look from your window. How does it make you feel? Take particular notice of your emotional state. Do you always feel this way when the weather is like this? What accommodations do you instinctively make to manage your response to the weather? Are you able to 'rejoice always' - even with grey clouds? Weather Blessing May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of Their hand. Peace, Rev. Gail Day 10.
An online resource adapted and used with permission from prayerbanch.ca Weather Report: Moving Towards the Weather Todays Weather What is it about the call of a new season that makes us want to move? For some of us, we want to retreat and savour the last days of the old season, be it the cocooning of winter, or warm days of summer. But, whatever the time of year, the old season can't hold us for long. For others of us, we eagerly anticipate what is up ahead and rush ahead to meet it. Either way, whether tempted to go forward or back, we feel the pull to move. Even the most resistant amongst us eventually succumb to the call. Spring is the newest season of all. It calls us out from our winter retreat and invites us to embrace an emerging new world. The weather calls to us. A clear spring sky pulls at us gently, until we hear the invitation to get outdoors. A shower of rain, might chase us inside temporarily, but then we are called outside again to smell the fresh fragrance of leaves and grass dripping. In late spring or summer we are called to the beach or the park, the heat of the sun sending a warm welcome as we venture outdoors. In winter or late spring it’s the snow and ice that calls us and challenges us to take our tentative steps, supported by our layers of warm clothing and sturdy boots. The seasons might rotate in cycles, turning around and around, but they also call on us to move forward. We count off the years as another cycle turns. We think every spring is the same and yet we also acknowledge every spring is freshly new and bursting with possibilities. Weather with You Before you Stroll today take time to acknowledge your personal and current place in the cycle of the seasons. Sit for a few moments with this acknowledgement. Sit without judgement, comparison or pressure to conform to any prescribed or aspirational cycle. Be present in the here and now. Let your thoughts flow and offer your current season in prayer as you Stroll. Take some time to listen to this video of the Byrds song "Turn, Turn, Turn' based on the scripture Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. 'Turn, turn, turn!' Weather Blessing May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of Her hand. An online resource adapted and used with permission from prayerbanch.ca
Weather Report Weather in our Bones “Remember that you molded me like a piece of clay. So don’t turn me back into dust once again. As cheese is made from milk, you created my body from a tiny drop. Then you tied my bones together with muscles and covered them with flesh and skin. You, the source of my life, showered me with kindness and watched over me. You have not explained all of your mysteries … Job 10:9-13 Todays Weather: Can you feel the weather in your bones? Does your knee tell you when it is going to rain? Perhaps like me (Rev. Gail) you suffer from migraines and your head aches when there is a drop in atmospheric pressure? There are plenty anecdotal stories of people who are sensitive in their bones to changes in the weather. Scientists have been studying the phenomenon for years. They propose theories but say that the science isn’t clear on the association between weather and pain. Weather with You Before you Stroll this morning, in the comfort of you home, take some time to stretch and get inside your body. Raise your arms and reach upward. Let this gesture hold all the yearning in your life. Bend and allow your arms to gently fall to the ground. This is the gesture of yielding, of letting go. Let your bones find their own good way of making this prayer of yearning and yielding, as you repeat it several times. We are amazingly made. Take this truth strolling with you today. Notice how your body feels. Can you still feel the resonance of your stretching in your body? As your attention wanders, return again and again to the felt sense of yearning and yielding in your body. Your body knows what you need today. These gestures will help guide you. Weather Blessing May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand. An online resource adapted and used with permission from prayerbanch.ca
Weather Report Love is in the Air Todays Weather Love is in the air. Nothing says spring like the Song of Solomon, also known as the Song of Songs. “Winter is past, the rain has stopped; flowers cover the earth, it’s time to sing. The cooing of doves is heard in our land. Fig trees are bearing fruit, while blossoms on grapevines fill the air with perfume. My darling, I love you! Let’s go away together.” - Song of Solomon 2:11-13 (CEV) The signs of spring are interwoven with the lushness of the newly in love. Weather with You “Lo, the winter is past.” Look out the window, or begin your stroll by looking for the hopeful signs of that spring is well on the way. See the blossoms in flower. Hear the birds busy nesting. If you are in Stratford, notice the ducklings and goslings. Feel the the sun warm upon your face. And as you become aware, allow gratitude to flower in you. Now, turn your attention again to the words of the ancient love song from Solomon. It is indeed an erotic celebration of human love. Embrace this. It is also an ancient love song where Wisdom offers seekers physical and spiritual intimacy so that we might awaken — and open ourselves to the divine Presence. Modern mystic Cynthia Bourgeault writes of her childhood experience of the silence of Quaker prayer: “And in that silence, as I gazed up at the sunlight sparkling through those high upper windows, or followed a secret tug drawing me down into my own heart, I began to know a prayer much deeper than “talking to God.” Somewhere in those depths of silence I came upon my first experiences of God as a loving presence that was always near, and prayer as a simple trust in that presence.” - from Centering Prayer & Inner Awakening. Be aware of how today’s weather may evoke God’s loving presence for you. Weather Blessing Here is a sung version by Celtic Thunder. A weather blessing from CelticThunder An online resource adapted and used with permission from prayerbanch.ca
Weather Report The Same Rain Todays Weather It’s the same rain but we don’t all have the same experience. In the last 2 years, many of us have had to work from home due to Covid lockdowns. I remember one time sitting at my desk and watching the rain bucketing down. I felt a sense of relief and joy knowing that I was safe and dry and with no need to commute to work and worry about getting wet. It was actually quite wonderful sitting and enjoying the sight and sound of the rain. The green of the trees and plants brightened, the colour increasing in vibrancy as the rain continued to fall. The world looked like it was being washed clean and fresh. When the rain slowed, little droplets of water formed on the cherry blossoms and tips of the branches, making the trees appear as if they were covered in tiny diamond jewels. I breathed the view in with gratitude and gave thanks to God for the gift of this abundant and beautiful rain. Only a couple of hours later, I would read and watch news of the floods that had devastated homes. It was the same rain, but not the same experience! Weather with You How can the same rain that grows crops, destroy crops? How can the same rain that fills dams, flood roads? How can the same rain that makes diamond jewel droplets on cherry blossoms, make rivers of mud flowing with the debris that used to be people’s precious possessions? How can something that felt safe to me be a danger to my neighbour? It is hard to reconcile these two sides, the good thing that happens to one person, while simutaneously acknowledging the bad thing someone else is experiencing. It was the same rain. We experience the storms of our own weather systems in different ways to others around us. Tough stuff happens. To everyone at some time, but not to all of us at the same time. People often say, “I just tell myself, that there’s always someone worse off than me,” as if this is somehow going to make their tough stuff easier or better. Weathering the days where we are flooded beyond our strength, is tough. It is okay to acknowledge and own this truth. Weather Blessing May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand. |
Each Wednesday we send out an inspirational message.
|
RSS Feed
