Mavis Moon
I live in Lynden, WA, and attend Sonlight Church. I am retired. My last 25+ years of work were as the IT Director of Pivot Interiors, a Herman Miller office furniture company in San Jose, CA.
I grew up in the Air Force, where my dad was a chaplain. During my childhood, I lived in several places, including Michigan, Alaska, Washington, Texas, Florida, and Arizona. I went to Calvin College--now University--in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I met my husband, Randy.
We lived in San Jose, CA, for over 40 years and moved to Lynden, WA, in the Fall of 2024. I have 3 adult children and 3 grandchildren.
Posted in: What Have You Been Reading This Summer?
Thanks, Sarah. I checked out Strong Towns podcast. It has 600 episodes! Any you particularly recommend?
Posted in: Being Faithful Where God Has Placed Us
Thank you, Gareth. So good to remember we are all called. I like this quote: "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." (I heard it attributed to Mother Teresa, but I've read that is not correct. Wherever it came from, it's a good one.)
Posted in: What Have You Been Reading This Summer?
Not strictly reading, but media: I listened to a Freakonomics podcast episode called "Ten Myths About the US Tax System (Update)." I learned more from this podcast than any other, I think. At first, I thought I was uninterested in tax policy. B-o-o-o-ring. But, no, very interesting. Good one to listen to and think about. Made me think of our country's economy in a way that's more relatable to my own personal finances, and about what politicians are doing that we are not hearing the full truth about. Seems pretty fair and unbiased. https://freakonomics.com/podcast/ten-myths-about-the-u-s-tax-system/
Posted in: What Have You Been Reading This Summer?
I think the best book I've read so far this year is Glimmerings | Letters on Faith Between a Poet and a Theologian by Miroslav Volf & Christian Wiman. It was a very good book. Deep. What Titanic minds those two are. They usually take walks around Yale together, but this book is a collection of letters they wrote to each other while Wiman was undergoing cancer treatment. He's had cancer multiple times and has been close to death several times. It is full of what I call "gems," words that seem to glow on the page. Here's one passage from Miroslav Volf:
I wrote about this book in more detail in my blog.
Posted in: Life in the Spirit: God Calls to Us
John, it is so true that God is there even when we forget him. Yesterday I watched a show about World War II, and a man who had been a Spitfire pilot in England talked about his first flight into battle. It made me chuckle to hear him say in his British accent, "I thought, 'Oh, my goodness me, it's going to be a busy day.'" He ended his prayer with, "God, don't forget me even when I forget you." God didn't, and we know he doesn't.
I also appreciate your words about paying attention to the seemingly random thoughts that sometimes bubble up in our minds. I believe thoughts like those often are God's still small voice speaking to us, as you say.
Thank you!
Posted in: Proud of the Trees - New Life in the Spirit
"...regenerates us and makes us new creatures, causing us to live a new life..." That's the one that stood out to me. The word new twice. Lately, it seems like I keep reading about renewal and a new heart.
I love trees, too!
Thank you.
Posted in: Made Wholeheartedly Willing and Ready
Bev, I love this reminder that "a continual filling of the Holy Spirit." A friend recently quoted a prayer from the Psalms about this. He wrote of going back to his childhood home and remembering when he became a Christian and his fervent desires and actions in that exciting time.
"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me...Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (Psalm 51:10-12)
Thank you!
Posted in: Does God Speak Through Imagination?
Bev,
Thank you so much for reading the article and responding! Your story of imagining being the centurion at the cross is powerful and inspiring. I know what you mean by saying thinking about it makes you want to cry. I have that when I think of imagining being Mary standing at the cross watching her son being tortured and dying. Our imagination can move our hearts so.
I agree that "as image bearers of our Creator, we have been given that ability to create in various ways, using our minds to imagine stories in powerful ways." I am going to look up all your references to music, too, another way we are moved by the creativity God gives us.
Thank you for the link to some oils you find deepen your prayers. I often light a candle but have not tried oils. I love the Bible references to aromas that are pleasing to God.
Blessings to you.
Mavis
Posted in: Does God Speak Through Imagination?
Thank you so much, Jim, for the encouraging words. Good points about hunches and exegesis. I think, too, that reflecting on what we think AND feel about God and ourselves is the beginning of discipleship. When Jesus called the disciples, they followed because of their thoughts and feelings--both of which came from God.
I've run across people who don't like imagination because it might lead you astray, as you mention, and have been cautioned when I say something about what I think God has said to me with: "Oh, Mavis, be careful! How do you know that's God talking?" I get it; discerning whether what you think you realize is God's will is part of trying to follow him, and the Ignatian tradition has a lot to say about discernment. But I have come to believe that we don't have to be afraid to think about what we think about or imagine. Even when we read the two "books" of Scripture and creation, we have to discern how what we glean from those sources fits in with God's will for ourselves, humanity, and all of creation. With the Holy Spirit as our guide, we do our best and trust God to work it all out for good, as he promised.
--Mavis
Posted in: Does God Speak Through Imagination?
Hi Hetty, I looked up your book and read a sample on Amazon (https://a.co/d/0dNVNjYz). So good! It reminded me of the children's worship program one church I attended used called "Children and Worship" (https://www.rca.org/equipping-congregations/next-generation-engagement/children-and-worship/). I love the invitation to wonder and asking the question, "Why?" Thank you for your response to what I wrote and for the book and curriculum you developed to encourage children — and all ages!--in worship. You are definitely using your imagination to do God's work!
Posted in: Does God Speak Through Imagination?
Thanks, Bev. I've been listening to the songs you linked to. I can see why you like them. It turns out I have listened to one of them before -- "He's Alive." I have Dolly Parton's version in my "Liked Songs" list in Spotify. :) Listening right now to "The Traveler / Joy." The Emmaus story is so rich. It seems like I gain new insights every time I hear it.
-- Mavis
Posted in: When Worship Feels Like A Risk: Navigating Faith After Violence
What a sad and beautiful story. I had just read a different article before reading this one, about some schools which have hired law enforcement to be a constant presence in their schools. In some cases, this has resulted in excessive violence toward children behaving badly or breaking rules. Sometimes the pendulum swings too far. It was heartening to read of your community's loving response to the horrible event you all lived through.