19 posts tagged “quotes”

The winning Austin downtown restaurant that was graced with me and my Daddy's presence yesterday was:
Sweetish Hill Bakery!  All I knew was that he would be at the Convention Center, but we didn't have a specific meeting point in mind, so I was a bit nervous about how smoothly it would work out.  You know me and my worry wart complex; I'm sure you can imagine the crazy thoughts that swirled around in my head on my way into downtown.  But praise God, it worked out perfectly!  He was standing outside right as I turned the corner, and we even had a prime parking spot at the Bakery...I was even worried about downtown parking 'cause I forgot change for the meters.  Seriously, praise God!  And seriously, Meg, get a grip!  Daddy was in the mood for the sandwich/soup/salad option, so I took him to the Bakery.  He parted with my list of other restaurant options in his hand for places to eat dinner with his colleagues.  We had a fabulous time together!  I love him so!

We're still waiting for the birth of our nephew, whose due date is TODAY!  Come on, already!  Don't you know that you have people who want to meet you?!  I went to the cutest little baby store the other day with my friend, Leah.  It took me about 5 minutes before I realized that I now actually have a reason to buy baby stuff:  I'm gonna have a little nephew to spoil!  It was a bit of an odd realization, as well as an expensive one, but mostly very fun!

This past weekend, Matt and I discovered a new shopping center on HWY 71 called The Hill Country Galleria.  With beautiful grounds and an amphitheater, we enjoyed eating our sandwiches from Which Wich outside and spent some time reading (and I also took a nap in the big comfy chair) at Barnes & Noble.  While perusing, I came across a small treasure by Henri J.M. Nouwen called With Open Hands.  As you all know from this post, the concept of keeping my hands open in surrender to God has been something I'm learning these days.  So the title of the book grabbed my attention right away and I had to buy it!  It's a quick read that I started about an hour ago and I'm half way through it. Boy, if you want a book that lays out my life right now, this is it!  It describes so well what I'm thinking and feeling these days, things I'm wrestling with and learning about prayer, silence, acceptance, and resting in the Lord.  It's incredible to read this book and feel like I'm saying, "Yep, that's it, that's it!", all the way through it!  I'll have to reread it to make sure I soak it all up, but I'm a bit stunned right now that it so poignantly and accurately depicts this season of my life.  Just to give you a glimpse, this is a quote from Nouwen:

Prayer is a way of life which allows you to find a stillness in the midst of the world where you open your hands to God's promises and find hope for yourself, your neighbor, and your world.

And there's so much more I could spout out, but I want to finish the book and not be rushed with sharing my thoughts.  This book, however, is a perfect segway (is that how you spell that??) to a post that I want to write over the next day or two where I will share with my Internet peep friends some things that I've been learning over the past three and a half months (I can't believe it's been that long already!) since I stopped my job.  So stay tuned.  In the meantime, have a lovely evening and say a little prayer that my nephew comes soon and is healthy!

To wait open-endedly is an enormously radical attitude toward life.  So is to trust that something will happen to us that is far beyond our imaginings.  So, too, is giving up control over our future and letting God define our life, trusting that God moulds us according to God's love and not according to our fear.  The spiritual life is a life in which we wait, actively present to the moment, trusting that new things will happen to us, new things that are far beyond our own imaginations, fantasy, or prediction.  That, indeed, is a very radical stance toward life in a world preoccupied with control.

--Henri J.M. Nouwen

O God, Creator of heaven and earth:  Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.  

Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood:  Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.  

Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be whipped and his face to be spit upon:  Give us grace to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.  

I just realized that The Book of Common Prayer has prayers for each day of Holy Week!  So here are Monday's and Tuesday's prayers.  If you'd like to know the reason why I'm posting these prayers, read this.

Monday in Holy Week

Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified:  Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Tuesday in Holy Week

O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life:  Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world:  Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen. 

Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves:  Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.  

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy:  Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.