Sunday marks the start of Advent and our spiritual preparation to meet Christ at the end of time and in the babe in the manger. As the nights get darker, for four weeks the church lights more candles, a sign of flickering hope in a world that needs a word...
Preparing for a “Less is More” Christmas
Advent starts this Sunday (Nov. 27), a time for reflection as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Over the course of the last few years, many of us have learned to scale back and think about the holidays in simpler terms. This season Gloria Dei is making available...
Practice Hope — By Martha Wegner Member Blog, Day 20
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Practice Hope – By Julie Schulz. Member Blog, Day 18
I’ve had my share the last few years. Our oldest son struggles with addiction. The fallout from that journey has put stress on my relationships with my husband and younger son. I’ve had two hospitalizations, one broken neck requiring surgery, and I discovered at age 48 that I was adopted,...
Practice Hope – By Meg Stevenson. Member Blog, Day 17
This year, the Thanksgiving holiday was filled with many blessings, as so many of the people I love gathered over the four days. In many ways my family is my rock, but it is also very much my hope. This strong bond of love fuels my hope and sustains my...
Practice Hope – By Joanne Kendall. Member Blog, Day 16
Waiting for the late-January (2018) birth of my first great-grandchild is a wonderful way for me to practice hope in Advent 2017. To welcome new life into the world always involves hope and expectation. It gives new significance, too, to these words of a 12th Century mystic, telling me that...
Humor and Hope – By Susan Gangl. Member Blog, Day 15
Humor gives us hope by approaching a situation from a new and unexpected perspective. When done properly - retaining respect for all involved - it can offer relief from the serious frame of mind in which we may find ourselves. Humor is harder and more elegant than wit (I’m good...
Practicing Hope – By Tracy Taubert. Member Blog, Day 14
My niece, along with three girlfriends, recently completed a cross-country bicycle trip from San Francisco to St. Augustine, FL. In addition to logging over 5,000 miles in three months on two wheels, they accumulated a wealth of wonderful stories of hope and faith to share. First of all, they biked...
Practice Hope – By Paula Hutchinson. Member Blog, Day 13
God’s love shines light into my life. Even when I am caught up in the darkness of fear, sadness, or general unease that I can’t quite name, I’ve learned there are always glimmers of hope and goodness that are present if I’m awake and willing to look for them. The...
Practice Hope – By Pat Derry. Member Blog, Day 12
It didn’t seem possible! Suddenly I was forced to sit quietly at home, leaving the work I loved! But vertigo was relentless; conversing for an hour was too much. I reluctantly accepted my new reality. My daughter became my guardian angel, and the care and prayers of family and church...