I cherish most the silence. When the temple has cleared of worshippers and all have gone home to their lives and their work, the silence descends and I can hear You breathing. This is my life. This is my work. Sometimes I want to shake them, to put my face in front of theirs and … Continue reading Advent, Week One (Hope): Anna
Advent, Week One (Hope): Light
Once there was a people who walked in darkness. They had known God once, but God had been silent for a long time. The golden age they lived in had not brought them joy. They were ruled by a wealthy, progressive, but corrupt government. Their own leaders used religion to wield power, to build up … Continue reading Advent, Week One (Hope): Light
I choose the twisted toes
The other night I was lying in bed, thinking about heaven. It’s hard to wrap your mind around what it will be like to live in perfection. I thought about the perfect body waiting for me there, the long-anticipated freedom from this earthly tent. What will it be like to live without arthritis? To run … Continue reading I choose the twisted toes
Cost: Everything
(From Luke 14) He warned us at the first: following Him would cost us everything. To the crowds who followed Him, waiting to be fed, clamoring for more miracles, He said, it’s not that easy. You don’t yet know what you are doing. Do you really think you can take up your cross? Have you … Continue reading Cost: Everything
Ebenezer: How to fight the unknown
(From 1 Samuel 7) For a long time they had half-heartedly believed in their God, giving him lip service and imagining they loved him while experimenting with the intriguing gods of the people around them. Was their God really the one and the true? These others seemed easier, more comfortable, less demanding. At least at … Continue reading Ebenezer: How to fight the unknown
Peace and pressing on
A week after our beloved friend was killed in a car accident, her mom walked into our office. I hugged her and asked her how she was. She admitted how hard it was to leave her house. How much it took to get dressed and come to work, to face people. She did not try … Continue reading Peace and pressing on
Choosing the right glasses: reflections on Thanksgiving
“What if I brought home 50 dogs and 50 cats?” “What if everyone in the whole world sneezed at the same time?” “What if I wore the same clothes every day for a year?” It’s a game, these “what ifs” she asks. We have fun thinking up answers to her audacious questions. The words “what … Continue reading Choosing the right glasses: reflections on Thanksgiving
Accept
verb (used with object) to take or receive (something offered); receive with approval or favor: to accept a proposal. Me Like it’s that easy. Like the something offered is something I want, because I know there is no accepting only part of You. Can’t you see how full my arms are already? You Even as … Continue reading Accept
How we are all waiting to die
I know a lady who is waiting to die. She has been waiting to die for a long time now. She decided, years ago, that she was done living. She was tired. She had had enough. She just didn’t care anymore, and she was done. She just wants to be with Jesus, as she puts … Continue reading How we are all waiting to die
Senses
i. There are ways and ways of seeing. What you choose determines what you know. Like a woman sitting, talking to a Man in the heat of the day. Some see an enemy, some a threat, some a harlot. The woman herself, a nobody. But she is a chalice, a spark. She is seen. … Continue reading Senses