• Sometimes people knock us around, don't they? As I daily rub up against friends and strangers, family and loved ones, it certainly seems that way. When that happens, my prayer is they would see Jesus at home when they come by. . . . Psalm 93:5 says, "Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days." David is speaking about God's presence in the world, the majesty of His creation. But He also lives in me as I make room for Him, which is what becoming holy really is, I think. . . . When God is at home in us his light shines through our windows. That's what I want to share when people come knocking. . . . #Jesusisinthehouse #dwell #abide #Scripture #evangelism
  • I just found a $1 bill in a pair of jeans I bought from Goodwill. Another reason to love Saturdays. . . . What surprised you today? #recycling #KonMariMethod #surprisedbyjoy @MarieKondo #Weekendsforthewin
  • This is a variation on a theme for me. That still, small Holy Spirit voice says, "Live each day, listen each day, do the next right thing." . . It seems so trite to say but I want to climb a mountain or cross a river in one fell swoop instead of taking one day at a time. . . . . Then God reminds me that each step along the way, each pull on the oars is needed. I can see Him and hear Him better when I go slow. . . . Let's remind each other shall we? #spiritualpractices #friendswithpens #onedayatatime #tritebuttrue #Godspeaks #holyspirit
  • "It is particularly nice to have Valentine's Day fall in the depths of winter, for it suggests that spring is really just around the corner." . . . "The seed catalogues are a further promise of warm days to come. I class them as fiction and love to read them. Oh, the beautiful roses and tall spikes of delphinium and the flowering bushes---not to mention the carrots as big as telephone poles and the peas that practically shell themselves. . . . We get some pretty fine vegetables and some nice flowers, but they definitely do not resemble the champion parade in the catalogues." -Gladys Taber, Stillmeadow Seasons @christiepurifoy @amberchaines @jodilenz @_fernwood_ . . #hopespringseternal #seedcatalogues #gardening #flowersofInstagram
  • Sometimes the most remarkable miracles are right underneath our noses. . . I'm just about to send out my February newsletter, "Random Acts of Writing, Miraculous to Mundane, and would love to tell you more about what I've learned lately by looking and listening. Everything from the wisdom of @mariekondo, Mary Poppins, and the dynamic @christiepurifoy & @lisajobaker at #outoftheordinarypodcast. . . . If you're not already signed up for Random Acts of Writing, there's still time. The link is in my profile. #friendswithpens #beautymatters #heartandsoul #Christianauthors
  • Last night I was standing in my kitchen (twirling is more like it) looking for a place to begin tackling the mess and chaos. My mind was swimming about what I thought I "should" be doing, you know, to make Jesus happy. I have a funny inner voice that often gets me with the 'shoulds', as if God is keeping track of how I use my time, clipboard in hand and all. . . . . Several tasks/needs/wants were calling: a book I wanted desperately to read (who am I kidding? Many books.) some poetry to attend to and gasp! bills to pay. All I really wanted to do was sit and watch another installment of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. Then I heard a still small voice say, "just do the next right thing." The next right thing was obviously to deal with the clutter, so I began clearing and cleaning up my kitchen. . . . Sometimes (most times) I want to get to The Next Big Thing and dive right into God's plans for me. Skip right past the daily and mundane and get to work that actually matters. As if the dishes don't matter. I've some ideas percolating right now about what to pour my creative energies into next and I'd rather get right to it. You know, change instantly and see some of my ideas come to fruition without putting in the time it takes to make adjustments and do the work. Sort of like Mary Poppins; I'd snap my fingers and find 'voila!' the job is done. . . . Alas, we cannot nor should we expect to, change in an instant. Nor can we get to wherever it is God wants us to be personally, creatively, spiritually without walking all the steps first. Whether it's the direction of our inward lives or our outward selves, the dreams we have percolating or the ideas scribbled on scraps of paper, they all take time. . . . And time is something God's got plenty of. All of it is His and all of it is sacred if we offer it to Him. The dishes and the dreams. #creatives #friendswithpens #MarieKondo (dragonfly photo taken at my friend Parris' house in Mandeville, La.)
  • My word for the year in 2018 was 'listen.' A friend pointed out that if you mix up the letters they also spell 'silent.' I spent most of my days last year being reminded about my penchant for spending too much time on noise. The 'noise' of social media, for one. ((Yes, I see the irony😊) I couldn't hear myself think and even more than that, I couldn't hear my Father God and His gentle whispers to attend to what He had called m e to do. . . . For 2019 I sensed the Holy Spirit saying 'quiet' was the focus going forward. 'Quiet' I suppose is nearly the same thing, but for me it is a particular way of reminding myself not to talk so much. I run at the mouth w a a a a y too often with all my good ideas and opinions and boy, does it get me in trouble. . . . Next month I'm attending the @refineretreat, a small gathering of creatives united by @kriscamealy`s vision and inspiration. As part of that gathering Kris has launched the inaugural edition of #TheRefineRetreat journal which I am honored to participate in. The theme of this issue? "Listen." There is no such thing as coincidence imho. . . . In the journal you can read my essay about healing from the loss of my mother, along with other contributions by remarkably gifted artists and poets. Profits from the sale of the journal go towards scholarships for next year's retreat (the cost is $1,000 so the $$ helps). I hope you'll give the Refine Journal a look see. The Amazon link is in my profile. #creatives #friendswithpens #beautymatters #wordfortheyear #silence #spiritualpractice #listening.
  • Although I unravel the world with words and writing I'm leaning into learning how to be more creative with color and paint... . . Inspiration has come from many different places. One of them is through @5ftinf (Philippa Stanton) and also @gardenercook Lorene Edwards. . . . I love the garden and I'm grateful for all the color that is out there which has been an inspiration to me and my painting endeavors. My creativity quotient has gone up because of it. . . I have a little mini post in my stories about it. Friends, what kind of art are you adding to your life today? #creatives #beautymatters #findingcolorinthegarden #consciouscreativity
  • Today is the first day of a new month on the last day of the week. We are always faced with the beginning of one thing on the heels of something else that has ended. . . . . God's redirecting my steps these days and calling me to a different kind of rhythm in my writing. I want to get to the finish line with a lovely piece of work to show for it but He keeps reminding me I need to walk (not run or sprint) all the steps along the way. Some of my steps these days look like 2-hour long phone calls with my insurance company (cue the groaning.) . . However, other sights and sounds along the way include conversations with friends and loved ones, in person or online or via text, that I cannot do without. Cue the grins. . What steps are you walking through today? Embrace each one--the groans and the grins. It's part of the journey.
  • Singing Bowl -Malcolm Guite (Canterbury Press, 2013)* Begin the song exactly where you are, Remain within the world of which you’re made. Call nothing common in the earth or air, Accept it all and let it be for good. Start with the very breath you breathe in now, This moment’s pulse, this rhythm in your blood And listen to it, ringing soft and low. Stay with the music, words will come in time. Slow down your breathing. Keep it deep and slow. Become an open singing-bowl, whose chime Is richness rising out of emptiness, And timelessness resounding into time. And when the heart is full of quietness Begin the song exactly where you are. . . ***** I've been collating and re-reading notes from a week-long workshop I attended with Malcolm Guite last August. While I copy and gather and jot notes, I can still hear the intonation in his voice with each poem, many of which he knew by heart. . . . Of course he knew the poems H E had written, but had a wealth of others at his command, reciting from memory lines and phrases that had taken root in his soul. Ephesians 2:10 says we are God's workmanship, his 'poiema' from the Greek. Poiema literally means 'a made thing.' We are God's creation, His 'made thing.' . . And He knows us by heart. What words do you know by heart? . #poetry #Christianpoets #malcolmguite #Glenworkshop #friendswithpens @gthorton . . *poem spacing did not translate correctly on IG. Sad face.

Jody Lee Collins

Inform~Encourage~Inspire

The Church Year

The Church Year ·

3 Ways to Avoid Crashing This Christmas

If Starbuck's has their pumpkin spice lattes on the menu, Christmas can't be too far around the corner, right? Witness this stack of boxes stashed out of the way at my local Sbux store. (The blurred print on the label says, "Open after November …

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The Church Year ·

5 Favorite Things About Fall

There are so many reasons I love this time of year--it's hard to choose, but here are my top five: Pumpkins Who knew there were white pumpkins and bumpy pumpkins and sorta-blue pumpkins and well, all manner of heirloom squash family members?? …

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On Faith, The Church Year ·

Worry & Wonder–Holy Week

"Only in those moments of vivid experience that made her come alive was she at home in her own country."    --Marianne in Green Dolphin Country, Elizabeth Goudge, Hodder & Stoughton, 1944 Friend T and I were chatting on Instagram the other day …

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The Church Year ·

How to Lent-Spiritual Practice for the Rest of Us

The city of New Orleans has a singular reputation for “laissez les bon temps rouler” (“let the good times roll”) no matter what time of year. During Mardi Gras, though, the celebrations take on an over-the-top frenzy that is hard to match. It is also …

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The Church Year ·

Merry Christmas, Dear Readers

It seems very fitting that Christmas Eve should be on a Sunday, when we gather for worship, wherever that is. A morning to set our hearts right in a posture of worship and thankfulness is a good way to ease into the gift giving and receiving …

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The Church Year ·

How to Make the Days Count {Celtic Advent}

Have you found that when God shows you something there are "sacred echoes" (as Margaret Feinberg calls them) everywhere? When I wrote "Living the Season Well-Reclaiming Christmas" I shared with readers about observing the four Sundays of Advent to …

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