Whitacre's Virtual Choir...

I heard about this video on an NPR Report. Eric Whitacre put a request on the internet for anyone to sing a part to a piece he composed, video their singing, and then upload it onto YouTube. Then, a volunteer took all the videos and assembled them into this most amazing choir... an internet virtual choir. Here is Lux Aurumque (Light and Gold). (He has a second one called Sleep ... just as amazing.) Enjoy ...

Snow! And, answered prayer...

Yep! It's snowing! Praise be to God! For over a month I have been praying for snow. When I first knew I was heading to Honey Rock for a couple of months, Rob Ribbe (Director) said that if I wanted snow I better start praying because there wasn't any! That was mid-December. Well... it's here... and it is beautiful!

I can hear the horses whinnying in the barn paddock, the scraping of shovels on the broomball court, and ... the stillness of the snow. Funny how if you really listen you can hear snow. If you think about it, that's what prayer is like too. If we really stop and listen, we can hear God answer our prayers.

Earlier this month in devotions I shared what I learned about three Hebrew words for prayer: tefilah, kavanah, and barukhah. (If you are a Hebrew scholar, please excuse the spelling... I found a number of versions for each one and so used the one most repeated.)

Tefilah is the practice of prayer and covers all kinds of praying: thanksgivings, petitions, praises. If I have this right, tefilah is the practice of prayer that teaches us Who God is and who we are in relation to him. That's why it doesn't matter what kind of prayer it is because any kind of prayer declares, "You are God! and I am not." We give thanks to God because he is the source of all life, of all things. We ask God because he is the only one who can help us (I learned that from Natalie Sturm when she was 4 years old!). And, we praise God because he IS goodness, kindness, life, love, peace, joy... you get the picture. So, tefilah calls us to practice prayer.

Kavanah is the mindset of prayer. This involves the intent and concentration of our mind and heart in prayer. And, because prayer teaches us about God and our relationship with him, kavanah is about asking and expecting an answer because we are his children and he loves us. This reminded me of many psalms that declare thanksgiving to God for his answer even though he hasn't given it yet. Kavanah is the mindset in prayer that declares, "You are God! I thank you that you heard my cry and saved me... or, sent help... or, answered me, etc."We thank God before we have the answer because we know he will, because we know he is God and he cares for us.

Barukhah is the prayer of blessing. From what I read, a Jew is to bless the Lord 613 times a day. So barukhah is a constant meditation on God and could be considered prayer without ceasing. "Blessed are you, O Lord God, King of the Universe for __________." ... our daily bread, snow, laughter, healing, forgiveness, sisters, fireplaces, friends, Butterfingers, Uggs. Just fill in that blank 613 times a day. Ann Voskamp's 1,000 Gifts is a great example of this. Barukhah is prayer that blesses the Lord, gives him thanks and praise. I read that barukhah means "knee" and can mean "humility". So, 613 times a day, bend the knee and say, "Bless the Lord for he gives us new life."

There are many things for which I will continue to pray, but right now I bless the Lord for the fire in the fireplace before me and ...

If you don't get what this is about look at the post from January 17th.

What does 14 below have to do with it?

Photo: dailycamera.com

So, this morning I noticed that within 10 seconds of walking out our lodge door my scarf built up frost from my breath. My pink cowl was dusted with white crystals! As I passed the ski shack thermometer I glanced at the temperature: -14. Yep. 14 below zero. I don't want to know what the wind chill was. One of the guys on staff said that today's temperature gives a new definition to cold. And, one of the women holding her cheeks said that it felt like little needles prickling her face as she walked to the dining hall. It is (spell this out) C-O-L-D... COLD!


There are a number of ways we all react to this C-O-L-D! Some people hunker down into their jackets and hats and scarves and with hands stuffed into their pockets they plow forward, hardly noticing anyone or anything around them. Others complain about it... how cold it is and wait until the very last moment before braving the walk... or should I say sprint to the next building. Then, there was one I saw, and I kid you not, who just wore a turtleneck and hoodie... no gloves... as she did her work w-a-l-k-i-n-g! from building to building. And then, there are some who just go about the day with the attitude, "Yes, it's cold but we can't do much about it." These folk keep us light-hearted about the C-O-L-D, helping us see that we can't really do anything about it but bundle up and do the work we need to do and be careful about being out in it too long. Regardless of how we choose to respond to this COLD, we go about our work and stay warm as best we can.

As I thought about this, I realized that this is a metaphor for how we face challenges:

1. We hunker down and plow through it, just wanting to get through it, get it over with not noticing anybody or anything along the way.
2. We complain about it, waiting for the last moment until we have to do something about it, and then get through it as quickly as possible. Probably, again not noticing anybody or anything along the way.
3. We ignore it and just walk through it, not noticing the challenge but at least noticing there are others along the way.
4. We acknowledge the challenge and accept that it's there. We may make light of it but are aware of the people and things happening as we walk through it. I venture to say here that in this response, we may even help each other along the way.

Apologies. I lost the website to credit this photo.

I'm discovering that this sabbatical of mine is bringing challenges that I didn't anticipate. But, like the C-O-L-D I have a choice as to how I will respond to them. Choice number 4 will take the chill out of the challenge, its prickling needles, and will give me the chance to learn and grow. It will also give me traveling companions should I need help remembering to laugh and love along the way.

Life in Narnia... I mean Honey Rock...

Where are Lucy and Mr. Tumnus?
Lanterns aglow to help us find our way in the night.

One walk to the Dining Hall.
Long Lake is in the background between the evergreens.

A balmy 33 degrees! The colors show what wax to use for your cross-country skis.

Brrrrrroomball. Remarkably eveyone is on his or her feet. Well, except for the goalie below...

Yes, 33 degrees and he is sitting on the ice in a t-shirt. Ah... youth!

Friends in the barn

These photos were taken on my walk today. It is now snowing and we hope for a couple more inches to help with the ski trails and make it safe for trail rides and sleigh rides. I can hear the cheers from the broomball court from my apartment. With four groups here there will be cheers all day and late into the evening.