1. to withdraw or retreat from: leave behind. as in the step from paradise to poverty, the long journey from throne to execution, the willing voyage into hell. to voluntarily cease to keep or claim: to give up. as in the surrender of the right to be served, powerful, esteemed, or comfortable. as … Continue reading relinquish
Five Minute Friday: Observant I’ve been camped out in the book of Mark for a while. I love its fast-paced action, the way the author zips from one powerful miracle to another, from one convicting parable to the next. It reads like a comic book, the superhero Christ performing amazing feats and saying unheard-of … Continue reading More than observant
I slip from bed and dress quickly in the dark, tiptoe down the stairs, pour some coffee to go, and walk into the Florida dark. I hurry to the sandy path that winds into the thick brush, guided by the sound of the sea. I never tire of the sight of that ocean stretching away … Continue reading Sunrise
The website says this: Lament gives depth, nuance and clarity to the story God is telling— his people willingly surrendering long held beliefs, prejudices and defenses. Apologies, website writer, But your definition is a doctor’s clipped verdict in a white room. To the rest of us, lament is this: The scream of … Continue reading How to Write a Lament
Courage, beloved. Do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. Do you not remember what He said? “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart. I have overcome the world.” We were told to expect this. Our comforts have lulled us to … Continue reading How to think about the time you’re in
When this year began, there were many allusions to 20/20 vision, the mark of perfect sight. How hopeful we were! As we look back now, how do we see the events of this year? Maybe 20/20 vision is too clear. Too painful. Maybe we mark the year with cynicism, anger, sorrow, despair. We can’t help … Continue reading Conclusions about 2020?
for words in the dark. for the feel of the path beneath my feet. for the sound of Your breath, unseen. for the sunrise that does not end the exile, but reminds me to remember. for the memory of the long thirst in the desert, of kingly … Continue reading Grateful
I woke up at 3:00 am thinking of you. You, the one struggling to believe or maybe even refusing to believe at all. I think of you all the time, actually. I was also thinking of myself and my own struggles to believe, my desires to have all the answers to tell you so you … Continue reading Things I Know to Be True: Some thoughts at 3:00
On the morning after the vote a star somewhere will collapse in upon itself, sending tiny ripples across the universe. A woman will birth her first child, a grandfather will breathe his last. The hawk who lives at the top of the cottonwood tree will again hunt his breakfast as birdsong breaks just on the … Continue reading After the Vote
You might be like that man in the synagogue. The crippled one. The man with the withered hand. This may as well be your name. It is the thing that defines you. This is what you carry with you—this disability that has sidelined every dream or plan and directed your life’s path. This is what … Continue reading A story for shriveled people
