St Brigid of Kildare was one of the historical people I encountered on my pilgrimage to Ireland. She was a bold figure and her historic life was mixed with the folklore. She established a monastery in Kildare where nuns and monks worked, lived and prayed side by side. Her leadership was recognized and she was made a Bishop - which the church later denied. I wondered what she might have to say to us in this time. I think she would respond that the need for peace must come from within before it can be shared with others.

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I have just returned from a Celtic Spirituality Pilgrimage in Ireland. We encountered many "Thin places" and learned much along the way. Join me in pondering the question of "How will you live?" A question asked by our guide while at the monastic site in Glendalough. A safe space for those needing refuge and a place that many have been buried. Some of the tombstones are now nameless, eroded by time and the elements. Pascal said "You will be dead a long time, so how will you live?" Join me in pondering this question.

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Celtic Spirituality refers to Thin Places. Those places were we feel closer to God. These thin places can be in holy sites but they can also be just about anywhere. Look for thin places this week. Notice when you feel God close at hand.

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The past couple weeks have shown the deep divide. The assassination of Charlie Kirk has brought all the rage from both sides. Some had no idea who he was. Others revered him. Others were hurt by his rhetoric. And where ever you were, that is okay. At the end of the day, the country has been reduced to battle language and war. A funeral became a political rally. We have seen each other more as enemies than as human beings. We need to step into the divide. We need to bring not hate but love. We need to begin the slow work of healing. And that begins by refusing to see people in terms of "them" or other but rather as human

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There is a famous camp song "They Will Know We are Christians by Our Love." Too often, the world doesn't know us because we don't act in love. We are human. We are imperfect, but the world is watching. They want to see how we respond when times are tough. How can we work to embody the love of Christ and to lift one another up? How can we work to bear each others burdens? Sometimes it means just showing up. Walking with people and showing and sharing the love of Christ.

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This week has been a lot. Another school shooting, death of Charlie Kirk, wars in the middle East and Ukraine, and any number of person issues for any of us. It is too much. People often say, "God won't give you more than you can handle." However, that is toxic theology. God walks with us, but God is not out to break us. We can cry out and we can lean on others, and we can trust in a God who is in the messy ness of human existence with us.

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John Newton, who wrote Amazing Grace was a slave trader until a profound experience with God's grace changed him. Jesus talks about forgiveness and grace being given and the need for it to be passed on in the Gospel of Matthew. How might we be people who live by grace? How might we be people who offer grace to others instead of keeping score?

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Life can be more difficult when we feel the need to hide our truest selves. We need spaces in which we can be real. Church has for a long time been a place where it often feels like one must "keep up with the Joneses." What would happen if we made church a space where people could be who they are and where they are? What happens if we have courage enough to be real with one another and with ourselves?

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