Lectio Divina: New Path to Familiar Places
Dazed to Dazzling Out of Focus Familiarity breeds forgetfulness. When things feel too familiar, I cruise along on autopilot. Suddenly, I’m pulling up to the small Island branch of the library. How’d I get here? I don’t remember going past my favorite slow-down...
Answering the Question
Squirming came easy. Whether I was squished between my two younger sisters in the middle seat or stretched out on top of lumpy suitcases lining the rear compartment of the wood-paneled station wagon, finding a comfortable position required squirming creativity. * With windows rolled down...
Keeping Your O
I’m one who savors the season of Advent and Christmas. I love the quiet holiness that can accompany this season. I delight in the many hymns of Christmas. This morning, when I rolled out of bed, I was humming the tune to O Come, O Come Emmanuel. “O Come, Thou Wisdom, from on high, And...
Advent: Watching for the Incognito
Incognito Presence “We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him . He walks everywhere incognito. And the incognito is not always hard to penetrate. The real labour is to remember, to attend. In fact, to come awake. Still more to remain...
Soul Transformation – What Does Your Soul Love?
What happens when two unhurried people thoughtfully consider the ways of transformation? A book worth pondering comes forth. A book about soul transformation. This, however, isn’t simply a book about the topic of transformation. It isn’t eight easy steps to becoming a transformed person....
Stretched to the Shape of A Writer
I have a confession to make. I love to read. That’s probably no surprise, if you know me. But here’s the thing. Sometimes: I read about running…instead of running. I read about eating healthy…instead of eating healthy. I read about praying…instead of praying. I read about writing…instead of...
A-Mazing Daze of Play
Play: to engage in sport or recreation: FROLIC ******* Walk past any playground and you will see a choice to be made. An empty bench says, “Sit here. Observe.” An empty playground says, “Come here. Enjoy.” The choosers are easily distinguished on such grounds: onlookers and partakers. Onlookers...
Attentive
at·ten·tive –adjective \ə-ˈten-tiv\ : mindful, observant : heedful of the comfort of others: solicitious __________ As a child, summer reading was my favorite activity. Yes, I was that child. The one checking out the absolute maximum number of library books allowed. The one secretly absorbed...
Pursued by the Word
Blessed Lord, who has caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which...
Advent: Listening to our Longings
Advent invites me to listen to my longings...to ponder afresh what I long for in the appearing of Emmanuel, God with us. Join me as we listen to the longings that arise as we savor this piano/cello rendition of O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Click on the title below to hear the music and see the...
Advent’s First Sunday
The First Sunday in Advent The Collect. 1928 The Book of Common Prayer Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that...
Saints Among Us
“I sing a song of the saints of God, patient and brave and true, who toiled and fought and lived and died for the Lord they loved and knew…” When you hear the word “saint,” what comes to mind? For me, quite often the concept of a saint is that of someone so high, holy and revered,...