Growing up in the Catholic Church, I learned a prayer as a child.     The words became repetitive and rote and they never had much significance…until now.


I am currently enrolled in a course through my church.   We are given assignments which involve reading various books, watching videos and  writing papers.    One of my latest assignments was to take a look at this prayer and pray it for 15 minutes a day for 7 days.


On day 1, I didn’t get past the first two words.   Day 2, the same thing happened.   By Day 3, I knew something was happening deep in my soul.   These are the first two words….Our Father. 


Father takes on a different meaning for different people.   For me the word “father” brought up negative memories.   As an adult, I began taking my faith more seriously and now that I looked at God as the Father, I couldn’t grasp the concept that He was “my” Father.   


As I prayed those first two words, I felt for the first time that God was my Father.   The revelation hit me that Jesus, God’s only son, gave us this prayer.   He told His disciples, “This is how you should pray…”    He could’ve begun His prayer with just the word “Father,” or He could’ve said, “My Father,” but He didn’t.   He said Our Father.   God isn’t just the Father of Jesus, He’s yours and mine.   We have the same right to come to Him as Jesus did because a high price was paid for it.   The price was the life of His only Son and He paid it willingly for all of us. 


Those two words have changed my life.   It has changed the way I pray and the way I think.  I completed the assignment going through the rest of the prayer.   I had a deeper understanding of it than ever before but it all started with the first two words. 


If, like me, your father wasn’t a good role model or maybe he was absent altogether, I’m willing to bet there has always been an empty place inside of you.   I encourage you to try this assignment.  I’ve talked with others in the class, and everyone came away with what they needed the most.  Mine was knowing the love of God as my Father.   As Jesus said:  "This then is how you should pray:


Our Father, 

who art in heaven, 

hallowed be Thy name,

Thy Kingdom come,

Thy will be done, 

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

 And forgive us our debts, 

As we forgive our debtors. 

And lead us not

 Into temptation,

But deliver us from evil."










A Red Sky

By Eileen Glotfelty • July 27, 2026
Having been raised in the “Steel City,” the only red skies I knew growing up were filled with the red dust of the steel mills. The first time I saw a real sunset was as an adult visiting the Jersey Shore. From that day on. I was hooked. Any chance I got to see a sunset, I was there. Recently, I returned from a trip to the Finger Lakes in upstate NY. It was our last day and we had plans to visit one of the lakes so my granddaughters could go swimming. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and left us with a cloudy, windy day. We switched to Plan B which was also nice but we were still a little disappointed. Part of our plan involved some sight seeing and shopping at an Amish Market (and yes, we did buy some Whoopie pies). After that we went back to the farm where we were staying so the girls could visit the barn animals one more time. The day before we were talking to another guest and they raved about the beautiful sunsets they had seen there. I had hoped we would see one that last night, but as I said before, the weather didn't look promising. In order to get to the barn, we had to walk out to a gravel road beyond the trees and down the hill. As we stepped out onto the road, I was happy to see the sun peeking through the clouds. I watched the sun turn that sliver of sky into shades or orange and pink and I was thankful for the view. When we reached the bottom of the hill, my daughter and the girls went to the barn but I stood in the road admiring the sky before me one more time. I walked over to the barn briefly but I'm not a fan of goats and chickens roaming loose, so when they decided to come visit me, I decided it was time for me to leave. I took another route back to our room which involved walking through a grassy field. I was half the way up when something told me to turn around. What I saw made my mouth drop and I did an about face and almost ran back to the road (notice I said. ‘almost’ ran.”) In the short time I had walked through the field, the sky had changed dramatically and had opened up to show the glory of its Creator. There in front of me were brilliant hues of pink, orange, red and purple. They bounced off every cloud and filled the sky. In all my years of sunsets, I had never witnessed one like this. I stood taking pictures until it disappeared. As I walked back to my room, I asked God how that happened. I felt as if He did it for me just to see the delight on my face. The following Sunday, I went to my church and the Pastor used this quote in his sermon. “Red skies at night. A sailor's delight.” He said he had met a naval man traveling on the same airplane. They saw a beautiful sunset to which the man had mentioned the quote. When I came home, the quote and the sunset kept coming back to me so I did a little research. To sum it up, a red sky at night can signify that a storm has passed and is no longer a threat. That spoke to me. My life has been a series of storms. Lately, a big one has been raging at hurricane proportions. I have prayed, I have cried and have been full of fear for the outcome. That sunset gave me peace. God is a merciful God. He reminded me, once again, that He was with me in the storm and even if I'm not seeing the red skies of night, it doesn't change the fact they are coming. Lord, right now the storm is raging. I need You. Help me to keep my eyes on You. You are with me and You always have been. Guard my heart and help me keep my eyes on You. Thank you for the beautiful red sky that gave me hope again.

It's Not The End

By Eileen Glotfelty • May 23, 2026
Are you one of those people who like to read the end of the story before finishing the book? This morning I've been sitting here feeling overwhelmed by life. There are things that are out of my control and a lot of uncertainty. For someone who likes to have a plan, it's my worst nightmare. God's word says that He finishes what He starts and He will complete the good work in me (Philippians 1:6 NIV). I struggle with that when I can't see the finish line. God's word also says He's the Alpha and the Omega which means He is the beginning and the end (Rev 22:13 NIV). To me, that means that He sees it all. He knew where I would be on any given day. He knew my circumstances before I did, but unlike me, He's not worrying and overcome with anxiety because He sees the end. So, once again, I have a choice to make. I can sit here overwhelmed because I can't see the way out, or, I can trust the One who can. Will I choose hope or despair? This leads me to faith which is choosing to believe even though we can't see the outcome. I had to ask myself where I was putting my faith. Hope and faith work together. No amount of striving can earn them. Each one of us has access to them. All we have to do is ask the One who freely gives. Jesus, I know you've written my story and You know how it ends. Everything in this life is temporary. Even though I can't see the end, help me to rest in the fact that You do and I can trust You with my life.

The Lost Sheep

By Eileen Glotfelty • May 11, 2026
A few weeks ago I shared about my estranged child. Mother's Day came and went without a word. I spent the day wondering/hoping I would hear something. I didn't expect a phone call but maybe a text. I told myself not to have any expectations, but I still did. I was almost angry at myself for thinking maybe this year would be different. This morning I sat here talking to the Lord. He wants me to be honest with Him so I didn't try to hide the sorrow and the rejection. I told Him I was hurt and I had to forgive my child once again. He reminded me that I had three other children who hadn't forgotten me and made me feel loved and honored, so why was the rejection of one so painful? It was then I remembered the story of the lost sheep. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's about a shepherd who has a flock of a hundred sheep. One of them goes astray and the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to go find it. It was a gentle reminder that He will never give up on my child and He loves Him more than I could imagine. In the same way, God will never give up on any of us. No matter how much we run or push Him away, He will never leave us. I needed that encouragement, maybe you do too.