Jan over at RevGalBlogPals offers this week’s Friday Five:

There is a dramatic and surprising venue for Spiritual Formation/Sunday School classes at my church: Each week a different person teaches about a “word” that expresses his/her passion or interest. The first week someone spoke about “hospitality” with abundant treats on her mother and grandmother’s china arrayed on tables. Other words have been “connectivity,” “Trinity,” “money,” and “dreams.” No one knows which person will be teaching until the class convenes. I am teaching this Sunday and plan to talk about “stirrings.”

For this Friday Five, please list five words that identify your passions, spirituality, and/or life. Describe as much or as little as you wish.

This is almost as difficult as picking only 5 books or 5 pieces of music!! You have to understand that I grew up in a household that had a copy of the unabridged Webster’s in the dining room. If we used or pronounced a word incorrectly we had to look it up and make an oral report. So I love words! But let me give it a shot…

1. Family: I’m one of 7 sibs. My extended family, which frequently includes “adopted” ones from church, is a source of encouragement, joy, fun, and prayer. I am grateful for them, love them, and spend a lot of my brain cycles thinking about them.

2. Music: I can’t tell you artists, genre and titles. I always seem to have a tune playing in my head, if not on my headphones. I still play, sing and occasionally write/arrange music, though not as much these days as in the past.

3. Faith: My soul rests in God alone; salvation comes from God. (Psalm 62). In the rockiest of times, my faith is the one constant. Questions, frustrations, confusion, hurts, mistakes (lots of those!), challenges can overwhelm me if I try to do things in my own strength, or for my own reasons. Faith in Christ grounds me, shapes me, changes me. And it also keeps me from claiming more credit for my successes and rewards than is my due. It’s a God thang. Totally.

4. Mercy: When we studied Romans 12 at CiB earlier this year, I realized that I truly am one of those who “rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.” I understand the emotions of others, even when we can’t put a name to it. I am learning the art of being a companion in dying to families and patients — not a place many people want to go. And I am moved to action when I see people suffering. I can’t do all that I want to do and so I’ve also had to develop the necessary companion discipline of discernment. But responding in mercy is to me a “justice issue” that over-rides the Bible-thwacking that I see in so many “Christian” responses to crises in our world. (Oops. sorry. end of rant!)

5. Joy: I want to continually cultivate the joy of the Lord. A deep-bubbling, ever-flowing joy for God’s creation and God’s people. A joy that comes out in fun, in praise, in laughter, even in serving. If a day is joyless, I am not much good for anyone, especially God.

I thought of several other words, but I’m stopping with the requisite five. So jump in and give your list — or if you care to, offer another “word” to me that I don’t always see in myself. (Which is one of my other words – “learning”…)