Thankful Tuesday: Attending to the wonder

Last updated on: June 5, 2012 at 6:00 am by michaboyett

Thankful Tuesday: Attending to the wonder 2012-06-04T21:54:45-07:00 michaboyett

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What if we stood up and took notice when we say “wow”? Awe is an integral Christian “disposition of the soul,” [Herbert] Anderson contends. It leads us into and disposes us toward faith. Luther himself said, “Wonder brings faith.” Such a disposition is what actually connects belief and practice. Without an outlook titled toward awe, belief becomes a hallow platitude and practice turns into empty habit. Builidng on Luther, Anderson emphasizes, “We will be more disposed toward moments of extraordianry awe if we have been attending all along to wonder and awe in the ordinary.”*

-In the Midst of Chaos, Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, (40-41)

*Quotes from Herbert Anderson’s “Practicing Theology in the Christian Life: Ordinary Awe” lecture manuscript

For little boys who play so hard (when their mama thinks they’re napping) that they fall asleep on the hard wood floor

For babies who are turning into little boys, wearing helmets while being pulled around the block on a scooter! For new words like “apple” yesterday, that only his Mama recognizes as anything but “ahp.”

Green beans from the garden! Okay, only like eleven. But they were fun to pick and eat for lunch.

Image courtesy TRACE/NASA

The miracle that we’ll be able to view the Venus Transit today, when another won’t occur again until 2117, when most likely no one we know today will still be alive. It’s amazing to live in a time when we can not only understand what’s happening in the sky, but know the next time it will happen again (and be reminded of our frailty and mere breath of a life).
Listening to my husband read a story to August on the couch
My new obsession (which you’re probably super annoyed by if you follow me on Twitter) with homemade espresso shakes. They are glorious.
For a Monday night frittata with red peppers and goat cheese
A multitude of books on the nightstand
The sweetness of teaching gymnastics twice a month to August’s little preschool class. We are spiders and butterflies and sometimes diggers and always bears.
Fresh peaches from the farmer’s stand
A Saturday graduation party with church community: little ones running around, delicious sausage, the high school graduate’s parents praying for him in the most sincere, non showy, true way. (This cynic keeps being blessed by the gift of people who have nothing to prove by their spirituality. It’s still a pleasant possibility that Chris and I can grow up into that kind of faith as well.)

Sweet reminders that these creatures in my care are growing fast and will only be Batman/Dragon Fighters for a few more moments in the great big swirl of the world around and around. Let me stop and breathe and sigh and listen this moment until my soul can’t help but offer Thank Yous to the one who keeps us spinning in the massive universe, the one who makes babies and makes them grow and holds out grace for their future grown up selves.

It’s Thankful Tuesday! What are you thankful for?

List your thankfuls in the comments. Or, best of all, write your own Thankful Tuesday post and link up for our fourth installment of the Thankful Tuesday Link-Up Partaaay! Add your own post to the linky and don’t forget to link back over here.

You can copy the Thankful Tuesday button from the sidebar. For more about our weekly Thankful Tuesday Link-Up Partaaay, click here.

Previous Post

June 4, 2012

What Makes a Pastor? Or Linda Horne and the Great Mystery

Next Post

June 6, 2012 {This Sacred Everyday} Sarah Bessey

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Deeper Church Beautiful Beautiful and Broken Books Broken Deeper Story Family and the Christian Year Family Life Found Friends Guest Post Invitation Motherhood My Chalkboard One Good Phrase Pinterest Place and Stability Poetry Practicing Benedict Thankful Tuesday The Daily The Mama Monk the Praying Life The Pursuit of Enough This Sacred Everyday Uncategorized Vlog Women and the Church World Vision

Select a Month March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What nation took Israel into captivity in 722 BC?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Egypt Babylon Assyria Persia