Spoiler Alert: You should subscribe to the Still Speaking Daily Devotionals from the UCC!
For those of you that already do subscribe to the Still Speaking Daily Devotionals, you know what I’m talking about. Connections, every day. How do they know just what you need to hear? What wonderful gems I receive to center and begin my day, each and every day. How much have these little pieces of… well… artful thinking given a purpose and direction, and how often do I reflect on them during the day at odd moments.
Last Monday evening, I had the rare privilege of meeting 8 of these special writers at Andover Newton Theological Seminary (worth the drive to Newton Centre, by the way). Each of them presented one of their devotionals as a personal “performance” I guess is the best word. It was luminous and uplifting and happy and thoughtful and such an amazing gift. With each one of them I felt connected. Ron Buford from Stone Mountain, GA speaks so eloquently about basic issues, Quinn Caldwell is funny and a bit irreverent, Emily Heath conveys deeply held faith and unrelenting social justice focus, Molly Baskette brings life to the day to day, Donna Schaper is incredibly funny and Mary Luci’s poetry is amazing. And I could go on.
Now, each day, as I read them, I remember them as persons with voices and I can hear them speaking, as I can still hear God speaking.
The one question I did not ask was this: “do you have a sense of how much you have changed lives by your skill, talent, dedication and openness to sharing with the wider world? You put your thoughts out there bravely day by day, and I for one have been lifted up and refreshed”.
I think they know, and God is still speaking through them, as through all of us.
Suggestion: SUBSCRIBE!