Spirit Beats

Posted by Patty on Apr 17, 2013

A Hawk in the Morning Mists

One morning, when the early mists still hung in the air, I saw from my living room window, a magnificent hawk perched on a tree in my neighbor’s yard. The sight was so beautiful, a poem arose from within me. Soft curtains of rain fall from Heaven, kissing the earth, now rich brown, gently drinking its fill, smiling and satisfied. The hawk perched on the eucalyptus branch, calm and...

Posted by Patty on Apr 12, 2012

Uber-productive or Digital Addicts?

I confess: technology upgrades are making me crazy. They’re supposed to make everything better, faster, easier– you gotta have it— but in just the last month we’ve navigated website facelifts, resume revamps, template redesigns, editing updates, software shutdowns, e-mail vanishings, hardrive malfunctions…and what should have taken hours, morphed into days, then weeks…deadlines flew...

Posted by Patty on Mar 15, 2012

What is Christianity’s Basic Message?

“Christianity’s basic message differs at the root with the assumptions of traditional religion. The founders of every other major religion essentially came as teachers, not as saviors. They came to say: “Do this and you will find the divine.” But Jesus came essentially as a savior rather than a teacher (though he was that, as well). Jesus says: “I am the divine come...

Posted by Patty on Mar 8, 2012

Rescue at Sea – The Miracle Power of Prayer

We were so excited! Our friends Jack and Linda had invited us to the Channel Islands on their yacht. The Channel is a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California and often referred to as the “American Galapagos” because of its rich animal and marine diversity. The plan was to spend the night on the boat and then hike the islands the following day. It...

Posted by Patty on Mar 6, 2012

Unshakable and Lasting Love

Recently, a mother used her own body to shield her young children as two tornados ripped through her Midwest home one after the other. Wrapping the girl and boy in a comforter, she threw herself on top of them just as the house walls flew apart and two steel beams crashed down on her legs leaving her immobilized and hemorrhaging. When the storms passed, her son ran for help and they were rescued....

Posted by Patty on Jan 18, 2012

Science Wins Young Hearts in India

We’re back from India! The experience was powerful. Travel to our final destination on the southeast coast took 30 consecutive hours by jet, propellor plane and, lastly, car, but the weather was kind to us — at least for the first three days. Then, we had a downpour from a nearby cyclone and when the sun came out, the world turned into a steam bath. My body blew up in reaction — my...

Posted by Patty on Oct 17, 2011

Pearls of Suffering, Wings of Grace

When a grain of sand gets into an oyster, the oyster begins defending its soft tissue against the irritation by secreting repeated layers of nacre, a unique blend of minerals produced by mollusks. Over time, what begins as a painful and unwelcome intrusion slowly becomes a beautiful, iridescent pearl. Similarly, when a caterpillar is ready to emerge from the cocoon, it must strain against the confining...

Posted by Patty on Jun 20, 2011

When God Says No

A week ago, I had a scary encounter with a scorpion. My arms full of grocery bags and my keys in the front door. I felt something fall to the ground just missing my face. There, at my feet lay a partially hidden critter. All I could see were several nasty red legs. A Frantic Search I raced inside my house, dropped the bags and dashed out again closing the door so my three cats gathered there to greet...