I am fully into this Summer of Hymns!  Thank you to those who have already submitted hymns.  To those who haven’t - there’s still time!  To those who submitted anonymously, - how would I know if you submitted again?  I will reveal that of all the submissions I have, I received only 1 with a little snippet about why that hymn was chosen.  I love all the choices and can come up with my own stories and understandings about why your choice is important.  The congregation might find closer connection or further depth if you were to offer your own stories...  Feel free to continue offering up your favorites and your reasons!
I offer another writing from unfoldinglight.net by Steve Garnaas-Holmes:
 
O Thou Mysterious Love, hold me.
When I cannot stand, be the ground that holds me.
When I have fallen apart, be the gravity that binds my pieces.
You are the Presence I do not see, cannot feel, the Steadiness that lets me tremble.
You are the darkness I stumble through; you are the way and the not knowing.
 
You are the well of my tears, the soft place for me to fall.
You guard my tenderness, and defend my wholeness.
 
You are the fiber of my making, the love that brings me through.
You keep me in your hands; you bear me on your hip.
 
Hold my shattered fragments in your hands, until I am ready to be made new.
Wrap my unknowing in your arms of darkness until my dawn is ready to rise.
 
Holy One, Creating One, I am your Beloved.
I am yours.  I am yours.
 
Blessings!
Pastor Kristi

You may have heard that my mom passed recently.  Thank you for the cards and prayers, food and understanding.  I am thankful for the time I had with her and the relationship we worked on together.  I am also thankful that she is at rest.   When I am weary, I turn to well-loved sources of inspiration.  I added Psalm 23 to a recent service because I love to live with that writing, and for more modern inspiration, I turn to the writings of a one-time acquaintance, Steve Garnaas-Holmes.  Here is what he wrote on 6/19/22 and posted on www.unfoldinglight.net
 
May I Embody your Grace
Spirit Within, may I embody your grace.
May I not seek to be right, but to be gentle,
not to get my way but to be kind, never to surrender my tenderness.
 
May I be faithful and steadfast, and see people with my faith, not my fears,
only to raise up and not push down, to set free and not to corner,
to bless, not to use, never to surrender my compassion.
 
May I clearly bear witness to your prayer for us,
and speak and act for justice for the sake of all who are not free,
never to surrender my conviction.
 
Grant me courage to be loving, wisdom to be humble, strength to be gentle.
 
Spirit Within, by your grace, may I embody your grace.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
 
Blessings!
Pastor Kristi