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
I always pictured belief to be the tall figure of Abraham counting stars, laughing under the sparkling joy of a promise. Or the voice of the fiery prophet calling in the wilderness and the rock-sure conviction of the way. You said to abide and that seemed simple when in the company of these, the … Continue reading Help my belief
It happened at the very beginning, when that crafty serpent whispered, "Did God really say . . . ?" Doubt crept into Eve's heart, and she saw the shining object of her desire that had been forbidden to her, and she reached out her hand and took it. The questions begin right there, don't they? … Continue reading Doubt and walk on anyway
Thank you, dear Noelle, for the inspiration for this post. No one notices her slipping into the crowd, but she is used to that. She prefers anonymity. She would rather live alone in the shadows than endure the stares, the whispers, the pity. She may have been beautiful. Now, she doesn’t know. There is … Continue reading Daughter
Mark 5:1-20 Part I He lives among the dead. Naked, crazed, violent, desperate, driven. He’s the crazy one, not right in the head. His people do not know what to do with him, so it is a relief when he flees to the tombs and stays there, tormented and alone. Forgotten. Who knows how he had come … Continue reading What to do when all your pigs die
We are natural collectors of things, we humans. We like to compile and stockpile, to assemble and amass. I collect old books, mainly classics of literature. I love the look of them and the thought of surrounding myself with ancient words of wisdom. My great-aunt once collected cats on her large Texas estate. Rumor has … Continue reading What are you collecting?
night-sung starlight twinkling time-traveling troupe playing out the same celestial story, sure as the sun a God-friend gazing upward, holding a holy pledge, a knife raised, a voice a boy untied, a birthright thief running for his life met by night angels arms raised lifting a promise waves heeding, holding mighty heads to … Continue reading Things I Know to Be True
When it feels the whole world has gone mad. When life comes to a sudden, screeching halt. When panic rules. When all my plans evaporate, the doors slam closed, and disappointment chokes. It’s so easy to point fingers. It’s so easy to scoff. It’s so easy to be bitter, or afraid, or simply exasperated. Because … Continue reading On being quarantined
Five-Minute Writing Challenge on CLEAR Clear Once I inhaled the sharp first breath and knew my place. I won’t say I understood. Not that, maybe never that. But I stood upon the grass, ran fingers through the trickling wet and laughed, oh how I laughed. I loved the bird song, … Continue reading Clear
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
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