What I want to write is the intro to my next book, a collection of prayers. I want to write those words and use them here and thereby maximize efficiency of word production.

But at the moment, that’s not working. Instead, here’s a bit of a conversation:

“What’s new in your world?” Nancy said from the love seat where she was looking at her world.

“Nothing much. The same stuff,” I said from the sofa. “But there is this, Joshua is succeeding Moses.”

She laughed. “And I read earlier this morning, ‘Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet.’”

I responded, “The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.”

+++

It’s not that we always share Bible verses in the morning. But on this morning, we did. Giving each other clear reminders that the stories we are in have been going on for a long time.

The other thing I had been reading, in addition to these daily readings, was a couple readings from Word by Word: A Daily Spiritual Practice. Marilyn McEntyre was telling me this morning to listen. It went well with Rich’s post from Tuesday encouraging us to “notice”

+++

As I’m writing these words, this narrative, these shared glimpses from Psalm 93 and Deuteronomy 31 and Hebrews 12, I got an email from a friend. (Literally at the time I writing these words).

It was an email he’d sent to some others and was forwarding to me for encouragement.

It started with Psalm 93, words I had read this morning. It talked about God’s ongoing presence with Israel as the leadership moved from Moses to Joshua, as the people prepared to move to the next part of their story, words from Deuteronomy 31 that I’d read this morning. And it assured me, as it had assured his readers, that God is both eternal and aware of us. Transitions are hard and God is present.

So Marilyn and Moses, Joshua and Joel, Rich and psalmist and Nancy, I’m listening to the old news.