Links!

"Meaning":

Rogation days are set aside for special intercession for the harvest, and they pop up periodically throughout the church year, mostly during times of planting and times of harvest. They’re funny artifacts of an older age, noted in history as days in which congregations prayed over seed that had been sown, urging God to bring it to fruition to feed the community. Traditional ceremonies included having the parish priest and congregation process through the fields with incense, praying aloud for God’s blessing on the crops. In some parts of England, churches maintain that medieval tradition today, and it’s a funny thing to picture, figures in 21st century garb, probably most of them elderly, traipsing through the fields while a priest intones ancient prayers, then stopping by Marks and Spencer for the evening’s groceries on the way home.

"Prevailing Over Depression":

No Christian, no human being, can know evil exists and be totally cheerful. The only way we survive is the hope grounded in knowledge, faith, that God will rectify all pain and suffering. Part of being a child of God is resting in His care, but part of being a man or woman of God is knowing everything will not be alright this side of death.

"Self Care":

Yesterday, right after the daylilies, I had a conversation with Sarah. I needed to spill how overwhelmed I'm feeling and she was the safe place. We didn't get far into the conversation before she said, "That's just not gonna work. You need to figure out how to feed yourself or you won't be of any use to anyone.There's gotta be a way." 

"Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning":

So if a crew member falls overboard and everything looks OK—don’t be too sure. Sometimes the most common indication that someone is drowning is that they don’t look like they’re drowning. They may just look like they are treading water and looking up at the deck. One way to be sure? Ask them, “Are you all right?” If they can answer at all—they probably are. If they return a blank stare, you may have less than 30 seconds to get to them. And parents—children playing in the water make noise. When they get quiet, you get to them and find out why.